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IknOW SIl XPQOlTlCtt BY THESE PRESENTS, Thai 
while sundry and almost countless imitations of and substitutes foi 
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846 An Algonquin Maiden 

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295 Random Shots 
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667 The Trail-Hunter 

673 Pearl of the Andes 

1011 Pirates of the Prairies. . . 
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1032 The Tiger Slayer 

1045 Trappers of Arkansas 

1052 Border Rifles 

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209 The Executor 

349 Valerie’s Fate 

664 At Bay 

746 Beaton’s Bargain 

777 A Second Life 

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840 By Woman’s Wit 

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227 Rifle and Hound in Ceylon 20 

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405 Life of J. G-. Blaine 20 

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226 The Fire Brigade 20 

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241 Deep Down 20 

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394 The Giant’s Robe 20 

453 Black Poodle, and Other Tales 20 

616 The Tinted Venus 15 

755 A Fallen Idol 20 

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496 Woman’s Trials 20 

507 The Two Wives 15 

518 Married Life 15 

638 The Ways of Providence 15 

645 Home Scenes 15 

664 Stories for Parents 15 

663 Seed-Time and Harvest 15 

668 Words for the Wise 15 

674 Stories for Young Housekeepers 15 

679 Lessons in Life 1 5 

682 Off-Hand Sketches 15 

685 Tried and Tempted 15 


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712 Woman 30 

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748 Our Roman Palace 20 

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470 Vic 15 

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901 Charles Auchester 20 

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842 The World Went Very Well Then . .20 
847 The Holy Rose 10 

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146 White Wings 20 

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456 J udith Sh akespeare 20 

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871 J oshua Haggard’ s Daughter 20 

872 Taken at the Flood 20 

873 Asphodel 20 

877 The Doctor’s Wife 20 

878 Only a Clod 20 

879 Sir Jasper’s Tenant 20 

880 Lady’s Mile 20 

881 Birds of Prey 20 

882 Charlotte’s Inheritance 20 

883 Rupert Godwin 20 

886 Strangers and Pilgrims 20 

887 A Strange World 20 

888 Mount Royal 20 

889 J ust As I Am 20 

890 Dead Men’s Shoes 20 

892 Hostages to Fortune ,20 

893 Fenton’s Quest 20 

894 The Cloven Foot 20 


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851 Loma Doone, Part 1 20 

851 Loma Doone, Part II 20 

936 Maid of Sker 20 

955 Cradock Nowell, Part 1 20 

955 Cradock Nowell, Part II 20 

961 Springhaven 20 

1034 Mary Anerley 20 

1035 Adice Lorraine 20 

1036 Cristowell 20 

1037 Clara Vaughan 20 

1038 Cripps the Carrier 20 

1039 Remarkable History of Sir Thomas 

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1040 Erema; or, My Father’s Sin 20 

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105 Woman’s Place To-day 20 

597 Fettered for Life 25 

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716 A Crimson Stain 20 

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448 Life of Fredrika Bremer 20 

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897 Shirley 20 

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230 Belinda 20 

781 Betty’s Visions 15 

841 Dr. Cupid 20 

1022 Good-Bye, Sweetheart ... 20 

1023 Red as a Rose is She 20 

1024 Cometh up as a Flower 20 

1025 Not Wisely but too Well 20 

1026 Nancy 20 

1027 Joan 20 

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479 Poems 35 

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552 Selections from Poetical Works 20 

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443 Poems 20 

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318 The New Abelard 20 

696 The Master of the Mine 10 

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430 Poems 20 

BY REV. JAS. S. BUSH 

113 More Words about the Bible 20 

BY E. LASSETER BYNNER 

100 Nimport, 2 Parts, each 15 

102 Tritons, 2 Parts, each ,16 


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526 Poems ..20 

BY ROSA NOUCHETE CAREY 

660 Por Lilias .20 

911 Not Like other Girls 20 

912 Robert Ord’s Atonement 20 

959 Wee Wifie 20 

960 W ooed and Married 20 

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190 Willy ReiUy 20 

820 Shane Fadh’s Wedding 10 

821 Larry McFarland’s Wake 10 

822 The Party Fight and Funeral 10 

823 The Midnight Mass 10 

824 Phil Parcel 10 

825 An Irish Oath 10 

826 Going to Maynooth 10 

827 Phelim O’Toole’s Courtship 10 

828 D ominick, the Poor Scholar 10 

829 Neal Malone 10 

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486 History of French Revolution, 2 

Parts, each 25 

494 Past and Present 20 

BOO The Diamond Necklace ; and Mira- 

beau 20 

BOS Chartism 20 

508 Sartor Resartus 20 

514 Early Kings of Norway 20 

B20 Jean Paul Friedrich Richter 10 

B22 Goethe, and Miscellaneous Essays. . .10 

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528 Voltaire and Novalis 15 

541 Heroes, and Hero-Worship 20 

546 Signs of the Times 15 

B50 German Literature 15 

561 Portraits of John Knox 15 

571 Count Cagliostro, etc 15 

578 Frederick the Great, Vol. I 20 

580 “ “ “ Vol. II 20 

591 “ “ “ Vol. Ill 20 

610 “ “ “ Vol. IV 20 

619 “ “ “ Vol. V 20 

622 “ “ “ Vol. VI 20 

626 “ “ “ Vol. VII 20 

628 “ “ “ Vol. VIII 20 

630 Life of John Sterling 20 

633 Latter-Day Pamphlets 20 

636 Life of Schiller ... 20 

613 Oliver Cromwell, Vol. 1 25 

646 “ “ Vol. II 25 

649 “ “ Vol. Ill 25 

652 Characteristics and other Essays. . . ,15 

656 Corn Law Rhymes and other Essays .15 

658 Baillie the Covenanter and other Es- 
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661 Dr. Francia and other Essays 15 

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480 Alice* s Adventures 20 

481 Through the Looking-Glass 20 

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422 Cavendish Card Essays 15 

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417 Don Quixote 30 

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119 Bourbon Lilies 20 


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Samuel Brohl & Co. 20 

BY BERTHA M. CLAY 

Her Mother’s Sin 20 

Dora Thorne. 20 

Beyond Pardon 20 

A Broken Wedding-Ring 20 

Repented at Leisure 20 

Sunshine and Roses 20 

The Earl’s Atonement 20 

A Woman’s Temptation 20 

Love Works Wonders 20 

Fair but False 10 

Between Two Sins 10 

At War with Herself 15 

Hilda 10 

Her Martyrdom 20 

Lord Lynn’s Choice 10 

The Shadow of a Sin 10 

Wedded and Parted lO 

In Cupid’s Net 10 

Lady Darner’s Secret. 20 

A Gilded Sin 10 

Between Two Loves 20 

For Another’s Sin 20 

Romance of a Young Girl 20 

A Queen Amongst Women 10 

A Golden Dawn 10 

Like no Other Love 10 

A Bitter Atonement 20 

Evelyn’s Folly 20 

Set in Diamonds 20 

A Fair Mystery 20 

Thoms and Orange Blossoms 10 

Romance of a Black Veil 10 

Love’s Warfare 10 

Madolin’s Lover 20 

From Out the Gloom 20 

Which Loved Him Best 10 

A True Magdalen 20 

The Sin of a Lifetime 20 

Prince Charlie’s Daughter 10 

A Golden Heart 10 

Wife in Name Only 20 

A Woman’s Error 20 

Marjorie 20 

A Wilful Maid 20 

Lady Castlemaine’s Divorce 20 

Claribel’s Love Story 20 

Thrown on the World 20 

Under a Shadow 20 

A Struggle for a Ring 20 

Hilary’s Folly 20 

A Haunted Life 20 

A Woman’s Love Story 20 

A Woman’s War 20 

’Twixt Smile and Tear. 20 

Lady Diana’s Pride 20 

Belle of Lynn 20 

Marjorie’s Fate 20 

Sweet CymbeUne 20 

Redeemed by Love 20 

The Squire’s Darling 10 

The Mystery of Colde Pell 20 

REV. JAS. FREEMAN CLARK 

Anti-Slavery Days 20 

BY S. T. COLERIDGE 

Poems .30 


242 

183 

277 

287 

420 

423 

458 

465 

474 

476 

558 

693 

651 

669 

689 

692 

694 

695 

700 

701 

718 

720 

727 

730 

733 

738 

739 

740 

744 

752 

764 

800 

801 

803 

804 

806 

807 

808 

809 

810 

811 

812 

815 

896 

922 

923 

926 

928 

929 

930 

932 

933 

934 

969 

984 

985 

986 

988 

989 

1007 

1012 

1013 

BY 

167 

23 


3 


LOVELL’S LIBEAET. 


.10 

.10 

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.20 

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BY R. CRISWELL 

350 Grandfather Lickfchingle 2(1 

BY R. H. DANA, JR. 

464 Two Years before the Mast 20 

BY DANTE 

345 Dante’s Vision of Hell, Purgatory, 

and Paradise 20 

BY FLORA A, DARLING 

260 Mrs. Darling’s War Letters 20 

BY JOYCE DARRELL 

315 Winifred Power 20 


BY WILKIE COLLINS 

8 The Moonstone, Part I 

9 The Moonstone, Part II 

24 The New Magdalen 

87 Heart and Science 

418 “I Say No” 

437 Tales of Two Idle Apprentices. 

683 The Ghost’s Touch 

686 My Lady’s Money 

722 The Evil Genius 

839 The Guilty River 

957 The Dead Secret 

996 The Queen of Hearts 

1003 The Haunted Hotel 


BY HUGH CONWAY 

429 Called Back 15 

462 Dark Days 15 

612 Carriston’s Gift 10 

617 Paul Vargas: a Mystery 10 

631 A Family Affair 20 

667 Story of a Sculptor 10 

672 Slings and Arrows 10 

715 A Cardinal Sin 20 

745 Living or Dead 20 

760 Somebody’s Story 10 

968 Bound by a Spell 20 

BY J. FENIUOBE COOFEB 

6 The Last of the Mohicans 20 

53 The Spy 20 

S65 The Pathfinder 20 

378 Homeward Bound 20 

441 Home as Found 20 

463 The Deerslayer 30 

467 The Prairie 20 

471 The Pioneer 25 

484 The Two Admirals 20 

488 The Water-Witch 20 

491 The Red Rover 20 

501 The Pilot 20 

506 Wing and Wing 20 

612 Wyandotte 20 

617 Heidenmauer 20 

619 The Headsman 20 

624 The Bravo 20 

627 Lionel Lincoln 20 

629 Wept of Wish -ton-Wish 20 

632 Afloat and Ashore 20 

639 Miles W ailing ford 20 

543 The Monikins 20 

548 Mercedes of Castile 20 

653 The Sea Lions 20 

669 The Crater 20 

662 Oak Openings 20 

670 Satanstoe 20 

676 The Chain-Bearer 20 

687 W ays of the Hour 20 

601 Precaution 20 

603 Redskine 25 

611 Jack Tier 20 

BY ZINAHAN CORNWALLIS 

409 Adrift with a Vengeance 25 

BY THE COUNTESS 

1028 A Passion Flower 20 

1041 The World Between Them 20 

BY 6EORGIANA M. CRAIK 

1006 A Daughter of the People 20 


BY ALPHONSE DAUDET 


478 Tartarin of Tarascon 20 

604 Sidonie 20 

613 Jack 20 

615 The Little Good-for-Nothing 20 

645 The Nabob 25 

BY REV. C. H. DAVIES, D.D. 

453 Mystic London 20 

BY THE DEAN OF ST. PAUL’S 

431 Life of Spenser 10 

BY C. DEBANS 

475 A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing 20 

BY REV. C. F. DEEMS, D.D. 

704 Evolution 20 

BY DANIEL DEFOE 

428 Robinson Crusoe 25 

BY THOS. DE QUINCEY 

20 The Spanish Nun 10 

BY CHARLES DICKENS 

10 Oliver Twist 20 

38 A Tale of Two Cities 20 

75 Child’s History of England 20 

91 Pickwick Papers, 2 Parts, each 20 

140 The Cricket on the Hearth 10 

144 Old Curiosity Shop, 2 Parts, each. . . 15 

150 Barnaby Rudge, 2 Parts, each 15 

158 David Copperfield, 2 Parts, each 20 

170 Hard Times 20 

192 Great Expectations 20 

201 Martin Chuzzlewit, 2 Parts, each. . ..20 

210 American Notes 20 

219 Dombey and Son, 2 Parts, each 20 

223 Little Dorrit, 2 Parts, each 20 

228 Our Mutual Friend, 2 Parts, each.. .20 

231 Nicholas Nickleby, 2 Parts, each 20 

234 Pictures from Italy 10 

237 The Boy at Mugby 10 

244 Bleak House, 2 Parts, each 20 

246 Sketches of the Young Couples 10 

261 Master Humphrey’s Clock 10 

267 The Haunted House, etc 10 

270 The Mudfog Papers, etc 10 

273 Sketches by Boz 20 

274 A Christmas Carol, etc 15 

282 Uncommercial Traveller 20 

288 Somebody’s Luggage, etc 10 

293 The Battle of Life, etc 10 

297 Mystery of Edwin Drood 20 

298 Reprinted Pieces 20 

302 No Thoroughfare 15 

437 Tales of Two Idle Apprentices.. , , , . W 


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27 Irene; or, The Lonely Manor 20 

BY PROF. BOWDEN 

404 Life of Southey 10 

BY JOHN DRYDEN 

498 Poems 30 

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1018 Condemned Door 20 

BY THE “DUCHESS” 

58 Portia 20 

76 Molly Bawn 20 

78 Phyllis 20 

86 Monica 10 

90 Mrs. Greoff rey 20 

92 Airy Fairy Lilian 20 

126 Loys, Lord Beresford 20 

132 Moonshine and Marguerites 10 

162 Faith and TJnfaith 20 

168 Beauty’s Daughters 20 

284 Rossmoyne 20 

451 Doris 20 

477 A Week in Killarney 10 

630 In Durance Vile 10 

618 Dick’s Sweetheart ; or, “ O Tender 

Dolores” 20 

621 A Maiden all Forlorn 10 

624 A Passive Crime 10 

721 Lady Branksmere 20 

735 A Mental Struggle 20 

737 The Haunted Chamber 10 

792 Her Week’s Amusement 10 

802 Lady Valworth’s Diamonds 20 

BY LORD DTJFFERIN 

95 Letters from High Latitudes, 20 

BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS 

761 Count of Monte Cristo, Part 1 20 

761 Count of Monte Cristo, Part II 20 

775 The Three Guardsmen 20 

786 Twenty Years After 20 

884 The Son of Monte Cristo, Part I 20 

884 The Son of Monte Cristo, Part II. . . 20 

885 Monte Cristo and His Wife 20 

891 Countess of Monte Cristo, Part I. . .20 

891 Countess of Monte Cristo, Part II... 20 

998 Beau Tancrede .... 20 

BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS, JR. 

992 Camille 10 

BY MRS. ANNIE EDWARDS 

681 A Girton Girl 20 

BY GEORGE ELIOT 

66 Adam Bede, 2 Parts, each 15 

69 Amos Barton 10 

71 Silas Marner 10 

79 Romola, 2 Parts, each 15 

149 Janet’s Repentance 10 

151 Felix Holt 20 

174 Middlamarch, 2 Parts, each 20 

195 Daniel Deronda, 2 Parts, each 20 

202 Theophrastus Such 10 

205 The Spanish Gypsy,and other Poems20 

207 The Mill on the Floss, 2 Parts, each.l5 

208 Brother Jacob, etc 10 

874 Essays, and Leaves from a Note- 

Book, . SO 


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431 Spenser, by the Dean of St. Paul’s. . 10 
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654 Love’s Harvest 20 

856 Golden Bells 10 

874 Nine of Hearts .20 

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473 Christmas Stories 20 

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60 Early Days of Christianity, 2 Parts, 

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987 Romance of a Poor Young Man 10 

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711 Undine 10 

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700 Fair Women 20 

818 Once Again 20 

843 My Lord and My Lady 20 

844 Dolores 20 

850 My Hero 20 

859 Viva 20 

860 Omnia Vanitas 10 

861 Diana Carew 20 

862 From Olympus to Hades 20 

863 Rhona 20 

864 Roy and Viola 20 

865 June 20 

866 Mignon 20 

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120 0th er People’ s Money 20 

129 In Peril of His Life 20 

138 The Gilded Clique 20 

155 Mystery of Orcival 20 

101 Promise of Marriage 10 

258 File No. 113 ...20 

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62 Progress and Poverty 20 

890 Land Question 10 

393 Social Problems 20 

796 Property in Land 15 

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842 Goethe's Faust 20 

343 Goethe’s Poem s 20 

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362 Plays and Poems 20 

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848 She 20 

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956 The Woodlanders 20 

964 Far from the Madding Crowd 20 

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376 Grandfather’s Chair 20 

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566 The Arundel Motto 20 

590 Old Myddleton’s Money 20 

787 AWickedGirl 10 

971 Nora’s Love Test 20 

972 The Squire’s Legacy 20 

973 Dorothy’s Venture 20 

974 My First Offer. 10 

975 Back to the Old Home 10 

976 For Her Dear Sake 20 

977 Hidden Perils 20 

978 Victor and Vanquished 20 

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583 Poems SO 

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633 Principles and Fallacies of Social- 
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356 Hygiene of the Brain 25 

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743 A Woman’s Vengeance 20 

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788 “ “ PartX 10 

791 “ Part XI 10 

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635 Studies in Civil Service 15 

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186 Tom Brown at Oxford, 2 Parts, each . 15 

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369 Life of Hume 10 

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109 The Spoopendyke Papers 20 

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784 “ “ Partin 20 

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198 Tales of a Traveller 20 

199 Life and yoyages of Columbus, 

Part 1 20 

Life and yoyages of Columbus, 

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236 Knickerbocker History of New York. 20 

249 The Crayon Papers 20 

263 The Alhambra 15 

272 Conquest of Granada 20 

279 Conquest of Spain 10 

281 Bracebridge Hall 20 

290 SalmagundL ^ 

299 Astoria 20 

301 Spanish Voyages 20 

305 A Tour on the Prairies 10 

308 Life of Mahomet, 2 Parts, each ... .15 

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754 A Modern Midas 20 

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728 The Hillyars and Burtons 20 

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335 The Young Foresters 20 

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338 The Midshipman 20 

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798 Prince of the Hundred Soups 10 

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65 A Strange Story 20 

59 Last Days of Pompeii 20 

81 Zanoni 20 

; 84 Night and Morning, 2 Parts, each. . 15 

117 Paul Clifford 20 

121 Lady of Lyons 10 

128 Money 10 

152 Richelieu 10 

160 Rienzi, 2 Parts, each 15 

176 Pelham 20 

204 Eugene Aram 20 

222 The Disowned 20 

240 Kenelm Chillingly 20 

245 What Will He Do with It ? 2 Parts, 

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247 Devereux 20 

250 The Caxtons, 2 Parts, each 15 

253 Lucretia 20 

255 Last of the Barons, 2 Parts, each ... 15 

259 The Parisians, 2 Parts, each 20 

271 My Novel, 3 Parts, each 20 

276 Harold, 2 Parts, each 15 

289 Godolphin 20 

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817 Pausanias 15 

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898 Joan Wentworth 20 

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1029 Gold Elsie 20 

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353 Tales of the French Revolution 15 

864 Loom and Lugger 20 

357 Berkeley the Banker 20 

368 Homes Abroad 15 

363 For Each and For All 15 

372 HiU and Valley 15 

379 The Charmed Sea 15 

388 Life in the Wilds 15 

S96 Sowers not Reapers 16 

400 Glen of the Echoes 15 


BY FLORENCE MARRYAT. 


903 The Master Passion 26 

904 A Lucky Disappointment 10 

905 Her Lord and Master 20 

906 My Own Child 20 

907 No Intentions 20 

908 Written in Fire 20 

909 A Little Stepson 10 

910 With Cupid’s Eyes 20 

931 Why Not? 20 

937 My Sister the Actress 20 

938 Captain Norton’s Diary 10 

939 Girls of Feversham 20 

940 The Root of aU Evil 20 

942 Facing the Footlights 20 

943 Petronel 20 

944 A Star and a Heart 10 

945 ilnge 20 

946 A Harvest of Wild Oats 20 

947 The Poison of Asps 10 

948 Fair-Haired Alda 20 

949 The Heir Presumptive 20 

950 Under the Lilies and Roses ...20 

951 Heart of Jane Warner 20 

952 Love’s Conflict, Parti 20 

952 Love’s Conflict, Part II 20 

953 PhyUida 20 

954 Out of His Reckoning 10 

979 Her World against a Lie 20 

990 Open Sesame 20 

991 Mad Dumaresq 20 

999 Fighting the Air 20 

BY HELEN MATHERS 

165 Eyre’s Acquittal 10 

1046 Cornin’ Thro’ the Rye 20 

1047 Sam’s Sweetheart 20 

1048 Story of a Sin 20 

1049 Cherry Ripe 20 

1050 My Lady Green Sleeves 20 

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46 Duke of Kandos 20 

60 The Two Duchesses 20 

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76 The Berber 20 

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115 An Outline of Irish History 10 

BY JUSTIN McCarthy, m.p. 

278 Maid of Athens 20 

BY T. L. MEADE 
328 How It All Came Round 20 

BY OWEN MEREDITH 

331 Lucile 20 

BY JOHN MILTON 

389 Paradise Lost 20 

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377 Life of Defoe 10 

BY MRS. MOLESWORTH 

1008 Marrying and Giving in Marriage . .10 

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416 LallaRookh 20 

487 Poems 40 

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383 Life of Gibbon IQ 


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LOVELL’S LIBEAET. 


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407 Life of Burke 10 

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139 Pike County Folks 20 

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819 Golden Girls 20 

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1000 Frederick the Great and his Court. .30 

1014 The Daughter of an Empress 30 

1033 Goethe and Schiller 30 

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130 India : What Can It Teach Us ? .... 20 

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197 By the Gate of the Sea 15 

758 Cynic Fortune 10 

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410 Life of Wordsworth 10 

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33 John Halifax 20 

435 Miss Tommy 15 

751 King Arthur 20 

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564 Hand-Book for the Kitchen 20 


BY REV. R. H. NEWTON 

83 Right and Wrong Uses of the Bible . . 20 


BY JOHN NICHOL 

347 Life of Byron 10 

BY JAMES R. NICHOLS, M.D. 

875 Science at Home 20 

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108 No New Thing 20 

592 That Terrible Man 10 

779 My Friend Jim 10 

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439 Noctes Ambrosianae 30 

BY LAURENCE OLIPHANT 

196 Altiora Peto 20 

BY MRS. OLIPHANT 

124 The Ladies Lindores 20 

179 The Little Pilgrim 10 

175 Sir Tom 20 

326 The Wizard^s Son 25 

368 Old Lady Mary 10 

602 Oliver’s Bride 10 

717 A Country Gentleman 20 

831 The Son of his Father 20 

920 John: a Love Story 20 

925 A Poor Gentleman 20 

994 LucyCrofton 10 

BY OUIDA 

112 Wanda, 2 Parts, each 15 

127 Under Two Flags, 2 Parts, each. . . .20 

387 Princess Napraxine 25 

675 A Rainy June 10 

763 Moths 20 

790 Othmar 20 

805 A Hou se Party 10 

852 Friendship 20 

853 In Maremraa 20 

854 Signa 20 

855 Pascarel 20 


BT MAX O’RELI. 

336 John Bull and His Island 98 

459 John Bull and His Daughters 98 

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655 Integral Co-operation 30 

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42 Robin 2(1 

BY MARK PATTISON 

392 Life of Milton 10 

BY JAMES PAYN 

187 Thicker than Water 20 

330 The Canon’s Ward 20 

659 Luck of the Darrells 20 

BY HENRY PETERSON 

1015 Pemberton. 30 

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403 Poems 20 

426 Narrative of A. (3-ordon Pym 15 

432 Gold Bug, and Other Tales 15 

438 The Assignation, and Other Tales.. 15 

447 The Murders in the Rue Morgue 15 


BY WILLIAM POLE, F.R.S. 

406 The Theory of the Modern Scien- 
tific Game of Whist 15 


BY ALEXANDER POPE 

391 Homer’s Odyssey 20 

396 Homer’s Iliad 30 

457 Poems 30 

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189 Scottish Chiefs, Part 1 20 

Scottish Chiefs, Part II 20 

382 Thaddeus of Warsaw 25 

BY C. F. POST AND FRED. C. 
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838 The George-Hewitt Campaign 20 

BY ADELAIDE A. PROCTER 

339 Poems 20 

BY AGNES RAY 

1010 Mrs. Gregory 20 

BY CHARLES READB 

28 Singleheart and Doubleface 10 

415 A Perilous Secret 20 

759 Foul Play 20 

773 Put Yourself in his Place 20 

913 Griffith Gaunt 20 

914 A Terrible Temptation SO 

915 Very Hard Cash 20 

916 It is Never Too Late to Mend 20 

917 The Knightsbridge Mystery 10 

918 A Woman Hater 20 

919 Keadiana 10 

BY REBECCA FERGUS REDD 

16 Freckles 20 

408 The Brierfield Tragedy 20 

BY “RITA” 

556 Dame Durden 20 

599 LikeDian’s Kiss 20 

BY SIR H. ROBERTS 

101 Harry Holbrooke ...20 


9 


LOVELL’S LIBEAEY, 


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334 Arden 15 

BY BE6INA MARIA ROCHE 

411 Children of the Abbey 30 

BY BLANCHE ROOSEVELT 

837 Marked “ In Haste ” 20 

BY DANTE ROSSETTI ' 

329 Poems 20 

BY MRS. ROWSON 

159 Charlotte Temple 10 

BY JOHN RDSKIN 

497 Sesame and Lilies 10 

505 Crown of Wild Olives 10 

510 Ethics of the Dust 10 

516 Queen of the Air 10 

521 Seven Lamps of Architecture 20 

537 Lectures on Architecture and Paint- 
ing. 15 

542 Stones of Venice, 3 Vols., each 25 

565 Modem Painters, Vol. 1 20 

572 “ “ Vol. II 20 

677 “ “ Vol. Ill 20 

689 “ “ Vol. IV 25 

608 “ “ Vol. V 25 

698 King of the Golden River 10 

623 Unto this Last 10 

627 Munera Pulveris 15 

I 637 “ A Joy Forever ” 15 

639 The Pleasures of England 10 

642 The Two Paths 20 

644 Lectures on Art 15 

677 Aratra Pentelici 15 

650 Time and Tide 15 

665 Mornings in Florence 15 

668 St. Mark’s Rest 15 

670 Deucalion 15 

673 Arrt of England 15 

676 Eagle’s Nest 15 

679 “ Our Fathers Have Told Us” 15 

682 Proseipina 15 

685 Val d’Amo 15 

688 Love’s Meinie 15 

707 Fora Clavigera, Part I < 30 

708 “ “ Part II 30 

713 “ “ Part III 30 

714 “ “ Part IV 30 

BY W. CLARK RUSSELL 

123 A Sea Queen 20 

399 J ohn Holds worth 20 

833 A Voyage to the Cape 20 

834 J ack’s Courtship 20 

835 A Sailor’s Sweetheart 20 

836 On the Fo’k’sle Head 20 

997 The Golden Hope 20 

BY DORA RUSSELL 

816 The Broken Seal 20 

BY GEORGE SAND 

136 The Tower of Percemont 20 

965 The Lilies of Florence 20 

BY MRS. W. A. SAVILLE 

27 Social Etiquette 15 

BY J. X. B. SAINTINE 

VIO Picciola, 10 


341 


171 


145 

859 

489 

490 

492 

493 
495 
499 
502 

604 
509 
515 
586 
544 
551 
567 
669 
575 
581 
586 
595 

605 
607 
609 
620 
625 
629 
632 
635 
638 
641 


BY J. C. F. VON SCHILLER 

Schiller’s Poems 26 

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Tom Cringle’s Log 20 

BY SIR WALTER SCOTT 

Ivanhoe, 2 Parts, each 15 

Lady of the Lake, with Notes 20 

Bride of Lammermoor 20 

Black Dwarf 10 

Castle Dangerous 15 

Legend of Montrose 15 

The Surgeon’s Daughter .10 

Heart of Mid-Lothian 80 

Waverley 20 

Fortunes of Nigel 20 

Peveril of the Peak 30 

The Pirate 20 

Poetical Works 40 

Redgauntlet 25 

Woodstock 20 

Count Robert of Paris 20 

The Abbot 20 

Quentin Durward 20 

The Talisman 20 

St. Ronan’s Well 20 

Anne of Geieratein 20 

Aunt Margaret’s Mirror 10 

Chronicles of the Canongate 15 

The Monastery 20 

GuyMannering 20 

Kenilworth 25 

The Antiquary 20 

Rob Roy 20 

The Betrothed 20 

Fair Maid of Perth 20 

Old MortaUty 20 


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22 Fleurette 20 

BY PRINCIPAL SHAIRP 

334 Life of Bums 10 

BY MARY W. SHELLEY 

5 Frankenstein 10 

BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY 

649 Complete Poetical Works 30 


BY S. SHELLEY 

191 The Nautz Family 20 

BY WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS 

640 The Partisan 30 

648 Mellich ampe 30 

653 The Yemassee SO 

657 Katherine Walton 30 

662 Southward Ho 1 30 

671 The Scout 30 

674 The Wigwam and Cabin 30 

677 V asconselos 30 

680 Confession 30 

684 Woodcraft 30 

687 Richard Hurdis 30 

690 Guy Rivers 30 

693 Border Beagles 30 

697 The Forayers 30 

702 Charlemont 30 

703 Eutaw 30 

705 Beauchampe, 


10 


liOVELL’S LIBEART. 


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832 SirPercival 10 

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126 Haunted Hearts 10 

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613 Men, Women, and Lovers 20 

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924 Karma 20 

BY HAWLEY SMAET 

780 Bad to Beat 10 

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425 Self-Help.. 26 

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594 A Summer in Skye 20 

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110 False Hopes 15 

424 Life of Cowper 10 

BY J. GEEGOEY SMITH 

65 Selma...... 15 

BY S. M. SMUCKEE 

248 Life of Webster, 2 Parts, each 15 

BY F. SPIELHAGEN 

449 Quisiana 20 

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401 Life of Johnson ... 10 

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WILSON 

461 Socialism 10 

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173 TJ nderground Russia 20 

BY EOBEET LOUIS STEVENSON 

767 Kidnapped 20 

768 Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. 

Hyde 10 

769 Prince Otto 10 

770 The Dynamiter 20 

793 New Arabian Nights 20 

819 Treasure Island 20 

921 The Merry Men 20 

BY HESBA STEETTON 

729 In Prison and Out 20 

BY EUGENE SUE 

772 Mysteries of Paris, 2 Parts, each . . .20 
776 The Wandering Jew, 2 Parts, each .20 

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68 Gulliver’ s Travels 20 


BY CHAS. ALGEENON SWIN- 
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412 Poems 20 

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861 LifeofSheUey 10 

BY H. A. TAINE 

442 Taine’s English Literature 


BY NIKOLAI G. TCHEENUISH- 


COSKY 

1017 A Vital Question 30 

BY LOED TENNYSON 

446 Poems 40 

BY W. M. THACKEEAY 

141 Henry Esmond 20 

143 Denis Duval ,20 

148 Catherine 10 

156 Lovel, the Widower 10 

164 Barry Lyndon 20 

172 Vanity Fair 30 

193 History of Pendennis, 2 Parts, each. .20 

211 The Newcomes, 2 Parts, each 20 

220 Book of Snobs 10 

229 Paris Sketches 20 

235 Adventures of Philip, 2 Parts, each . . 15 

238 The Virginians, 2 Parts, each 20 

252 Critical Reviews, etc 10 

256 Eastern Sketches 10 

262 Fatal .Boots, etc 10 

264 The Four Georges 10 

280 Fitzboodle Papers, etc 10 

283 Roundabout Papers 20 

286 A Legend of the Rhine, etc 10 

286 Cox’s Diary, etc 10 

292 Irish Sketches, etc 20 

296 Men’s Wives 10 

300 Novels by Eminent Hands 10 

303 Character Sketches, etc 10 

304 Christmas Books 20 

306 BaUads 15 

307 Yellowplush Papers 10 

309 Sketches and Travels in London 10 

313 English Humorists 15 

316 Great- Hoggarty Diamond 1C 

320 The Rose and the Ring 10 

BY JUDGE B. P. THOMPSON 

21 The Green Mountain Boys 20 

BY THEODOEE TILTON 

94 Tempest Tossed, Part 1 20 

94 Tempest Tossed, Part II 20 

BY ANTHONY TEOLLOPE 

133 Mr. Scarborough’s Family, 2 Parts, 

each 15 

251 Autobiography of Anthony Trollope. 20 

344 Life of Thackeray 10 

367 An Old Man’s Love 15 

BY F. A. TUPPEE 

895 Moonshine 20 

BY J. VAN LENNEP 

468 The Count of Talavera 20 

BY VIEGIL 

640 Poems 25 


BY JULES VEENE 

34 800 Leagues on the Amazon .10 

35 The Cryptogram 10 

154 Tour of the World in Eighty Days. . 20 

166 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 20 

185 The Mysterious Island, 3 Parts, each.l5 

BY QUEEN VICTOEIA 

365 More Leaves from a Life in the High? 

lauds 15 


11 


LOVELL’S 


ST L. 5. WAISOSO. 

1065 Mr. Smith 20 

1056 The History of a Week 10 

1067 The Baby’s Grandmother 20 

1058 Troublesome Daughter 20 

1059 Cousins 20 

BY GEORGE WALKER 

13 The Three Spaniards 20 

BY PROF. A. W. WARD 

413 Life of Chaucer 10 

BY F. WARDEN 

757 Doris’ Fortune 10 

980 At the World’s Mercy 10 

981 The House on the Marsh 20 

982 Deldee 20 

983 A Prince of Darkness 20 

BY SAMTJEL WARREN 

935 Ten Thousand a Year, Part T 20 

“ “ “ Part II 20 

“ “ » Partin ....20 

BY DESHLER WELCH 

427 Life of Grover Cleveland 20 

BY E. WERNER 

614 At a High Price 20 

734 Vineta 20 

BY MRS. HENRY WOOD 

54 East Lynne 20 

902 The Mystery 20 

BY MRS. WHITCHER 

194 Widow Bedott Papers 20 

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450 Poems 20 

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963 Her Johnnie 20 

BY W. M. WILLIAMS 

80 Science in Short Chapters 20 


LIBRARY. 


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352 Poems 24 

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830 Twilight Club Tracts 20 

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723 Running the Gauntlet 20 

724 Broken to Harness ^ 

BY CHARLOTTE M. YONGE 

858 A Modem Telemachus 20 

899 Love and Life 20 

BY ERNEST A. YOUNG 

666 Barbara’s Rival.. 20 

691 A Woman’s Honor ^ 

MISCELLANEOUS 

26 Life of Washington 20 

37 Paul and Virginix 10 

47 Baron Munchausen 10 

63 The Vendetta, by Balzac 20 

66 Margaret and her Bridesmaids 20 

72 Queen of the County 20 

98 The Gypsy Queen ^ 

118 A New Lease of Life 20 

169 Beyond the Sunrise 20 

181 Whist, or Bumblepuppy? 10 

860 Modem Christianity a Civiliz^ 

Heathenism 15 

265 Plutarch’s Lives, 5 Parts, each 20 

291 Famous Funny Fellows ^ 

323 Life of Paul Jones 

332 Every-Day Cook-Book io 

340 Clayton’s Rangers 20 

385 Swiss Family Robinson 20 

386 Childhood of the World 10 

397 Arabian Nights’ Entertainments 25 

402 How He Reached the White House. 25 

433 Wrecks in the Sea of Life 20 

434 Typhaines Abbey 25 

483 The Child Hunters 15 

857 AWilful Young Woman 20 

966 The Story of Our Mess 20 

967 The Three Bummers 20 

1019 Soeur Louise 20 


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"'-V* ^ - 




TARAS BULBA 



NIKOLAI VASILIEVITCH GOGOL 

a 


TRANSLATED FROM THE RUSSIAN BY 

ISABEL F. HAPGOOD 


NEW YORK: 

JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY. 
1888. 



Copyright, 1886, 

By THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO. 




• A 

^*>4. 


ELECTROTYPED AND PRINTED 
BY RAND, AVERY, AND COMPANY, 
BOSTON. 


TARAS BULBA. 


I. 

‘‘Ah, turn round, son! How ridiculous you 
are I What sort of priest's cassock have you 
got on ? Do all in the academy dress like 
this?” 

With such words did old Bulba greet his 
two sons, who had been away for their educa- 
tion to the Royal Seminary in Kief, and had 
just returned home to their father. 

His sons had but just dismounted from their 
horses. They were a couple of stout lads 
who still looked askance, like youths recently 
released from the seminary. Their strong, 
healthy faces were covered with the first down, 
which had, as yet, never known a razor. They 


5 


6 


TARAS BULBA. 


were very much disturbed by such a reception 
from their father, and stood motionless with 
their eyes fixed upon the earth. 

Stand still, stand still ! let me have a good 
look at you,’' he continued, turning them 
round. “ How long your svitkas " are ! What 
svitkas ! There never were such svitkas in the 
world before. Just run, one of you! I will see 
whether he will not get entangled in the skirts, 
and fall to the ground.” 

‘'Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, father!” said the 
eldest of them at length. 

“ See how touchy they are ! Why shouldn’t 
I laugh .? ” 

“ Because, although you are my father, if you 
laugh, by heavens, I will beat you ! ” 

“ Ah, what kind of a son are you ? what, 
your father ! ” said Taras Bulba, retreating sev- 
eral paces in amazement. 

“Yes, even my father. I don’t stop to con- 
sider persons when an insult is in question.” 


Long garments of coarse cloth. 


TARAS BULBA. 


7 


‘‘ So you want to fight me ? with your fists ? ” 

‘‘Any way.” 

“Well, let it be with fists,” said Taras Bulba, 
stripping up his sleeves : “ I’ll see what sort of 
a man you are with your fists.” 

And the father and son, in place of a pleas- 
ant meeting after long separation, began to 
administer to each other heavy blows in the 
ribs, on the back and chest, now retreating and 
looking at each other, now attacking afresh. 

“ Look, good people ! the old man has gone 
mad! he has lost his senses completely!” 
screamed their pale, ugly, good mother, who 
was standing on the threshold, and had not yet 
succeeded in embracing her darling children. 
“The children have come home, we have not 
seen them for over a year ; and now he has 
taken some strange freak, — he’s pummelling 
them.” 

“Yes, he fights well,” said Bulba, pausing; 
“well, by heavens ! ” he continued, rather as if 
excusing himself, “yes, although he has never 


8 


TARAS BULBA. 


tried before. He will be a good Cossack ! 
Now, welcome, son! embrace me;” and the 
father and son began to kiss each other. 

Good little son I see that you beat every one 
as you pummelled me ; don't let any one es- 
cape. Nevertheless, your garment is ridicu- 
lous. What rope is this, hanging here — And 
you, lout, why are you standing there with 
your hands hanging.?” said he, turning to the 
youngest. ‘‘Why don’t you fight me.? you son 
of a dog! ” 

“What an idea!” said the mother, who had 
managed in the mean time to embrace the 
youngest. “Who ever heard of a man’s own 
children beating their father.? That’s enough 
for the present : the child is young, he has had 
a long journey, he is tired.” (The child was 
over twenty, and about six feet high.) “ He 
ought to rest, and eat something ; and he sets 
him to fighting ! ” 

“^h, I see you are a scribbler!” said Bulba. 
“ Don’t listen to your mother, little son ; she is 


TARAS BWLBA. 


9 


a woman, she knows nothing. What sort of 
petting do you need Your petting is a clear 
field and a good horse, that’s your petting ! 
And do you see this sword ? that’s your 
mother! All the rest they stuff your heads 
with is rubbish ; the academy, books, ABC 
books, philosophy, and all that, I spit upon it 
all ! ” Here Bulba added a word which is not 
used in print. ^‘But I’ll tell you what is best : 
I’ll take you to Zaporozhe' this very week. 
There’s science for you ! There’s your school ; 
there alone will you acquire sense.” 

''And are they only to remain at home a 
week ? ” said the thin old mother sadly, with 
tears in her eyes. '"The poor boys will have no 
chance to go about, no chance to get acquainted 
with the home where they were born ; there will 
be no chance for me to get a look at them.” 

“ Enough, you’ve howled enough, old woman ! 
A Cossack is not born to run around after 
women. You would like to hide them both 

* The Cossack country beyond (za) the falls (J>orozke) of the 
Dniepr. 


lO 


TARAS Bl/LBA. 


under your petticoat, and sit upon them as a 
hen sits on eggs. Go, go, and let us have every 
thing there is on the table in a trice. We 
don’t want any pampushke,' honey-cakes, poppy- 
cakes, or any other messes : bring us a whole 
sheep, give us a goat, mead forty years old, 
and as much gorilka^ as possible, not with rai- 
sins and all sorts of stuff, but plain flaming 
gorilka, which foams and hisses like mad.” 

Bulba led his sons into the principal room of 
the cabin ; and two handsome female servants 
in coin necklaces, who were arranging the 
apartment, ran out quickly. They were evi- 
dently frightened at the arrival of the young 
men, who did not care to be familiar with any 
one ; or else they merely wanted to maintain 
their female custom of screaming, and rushing 
headlong at the sight of a man, and then screen- 
ing their lively shame for a long time with 
their sleeves. The cabin was furnished accord- 
ing to the fashion of that period, — concerning 


* A boiled dish, made of dough. 


Corn-brandy. 


TARAS BULBA, 


1 1 

which vivid hints remain only in the songs and 
lyrics, which are no longer sung in the Ukraine 
by aged blind men, with gentle tinkle of the 
bandoura, to the people thronging round them, 
— according to the taste of that warlike and 
troublous time, when the leagues and battles 
began to occur in the Ukraine, after the union. 
All was clean, smeared with colored clay. On 
the walls hung sabres, nagaiki (hunting-whips), 
nets for birds, fish-nets and guns, cleverly 
carved powder-horns, gilded bits for horses, and 
tether-ropes with silver plates. The window 
was small, with round dull panes, through which 
it was impossible to see except by raising the 
one movable pane. Around the windows and 
doors were red bands. On shelves in the corner 
stood jugs, bottles, and flasks of green and blue 
glass, carved silver cups, and gilded glasses of 
various makes, — Venetian, Turkish, Tscherkes- 
sian, which had arrived in Bulba’s cabin by 
various roads, at third and fourth hand, a thing 
which was quite common in those bold days. 


13 


TARAS BULBA. 


There were birch benches all around the room, 
a huge table under the images in the front 
corner, and a wide oven, all covered with parti- 
colored patterns, and projections, and depres- 
sions, with spaces between it and the wall. All 
this was very familiar to our two young men, 
who came home every year during the dog- 
days, because they had no horses, and because 
it was not customary to permit the students to 
ride on horseback. All they had was tchubuiy'" 
which every Cossack who bore weapons could 
pull. It was only at the end of their course, 
that Bulba sent them, from his stud, a couple 
of young stallions. 

Bulba, on the occasion of his sons* arrival, 
ordered all the sotniks,^ and all the officers of 
the band who were of any consequence, to be 
summoned ; and when two of them arrived with 
the Osaul3 Dmitro Tovkatch, his old comrade, 
he immediately presented his sons, saying, ‘‘See 

* Long locks of hair on the temples. ^ Captains of hundreds 

3 Under hetman, or chief, among the Cossacks. 


TARAS BL/LBA. 


13 


what fine young fellows they are ! I shall send 
them to the Setch^ shortly/’ The guests con- 
gratulated Bulba, and both the young men, and 
told them they would do well, and that there 
was no better knowledge for a young man than 
a knowledge of that Zaporozhian Setch. 

‘‘ Now, brothers, seat yourselves, each where 
he likes best at the table ; now my sons. First 
of all, let’s drink gorilka : ” so spoke Bulba. 
“ God bless you ! Welcome, sons ; you Ostap, 
and you Andrii. God grant that you may 
always be successful in war, that you may con- 
quer the Mussulmans and the Turks and the 
Tatars ; and when the Poles undertake any 
expedition against our faith, then may you beat 
the Poles. Now clink your glasses — how now.^ 
Is the gorilka good I What’s gorilka in Latin } 
Come, my son, the Latins were stupid : they 
did not know there was such a thing in the 
world as gorilka. What was the name of the 
man who wrote Latin rhymes } I don’t know 

* The village of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. 


14 


TARAS BULBA. 


much about reading and writing, so I don’t 
know quite. Was it Horace } ” 

What a dad ! ” thought the eldest son 
Ostap. The old dog knows every thing, but 
he always pretends the contrary.” 

I don’t believe the archimandrite allowed 
you so much as a smell of gorilka,” continued 
Taras. Confess, my little sons, they beat you 
well with fresh birch-twigs, on your backs, and 
all over your Cossack bodies ; and perhaps, 
when you became too sensible, they beat you 
with whips. And not on Saturday only, I 
fancy, but on Wednesday and Thursday.” 

What is past, father, must not be recalled : 
it is done with.” 

‘‘ Let them try it now,” said Andrii. ‘‘ Let 
anybody just touch me, let any Tatar expose 
himself now, and he’ll learn what a Cossack’s 
sword is like ! ” 

Good, my son, by heavens, good ! And 
when it comes to that. I’ll go with you; by 
heavens, I’ll go ! What should I wait here for } 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


15 

To become a buckwheat-reaper and house- 
keeper, to look after the sheep and swine, and 
go around with my wife ? Away with them ! 
I am a Cossack ; I’ll have none of them ! 
What’s left but war? I’ll go with you to 
Zaporozhe to carouse ; I’ll go, by heavens ! ” 
And old Bulba grew warm by degrees ; and 
finally, quite angry, rose from the table, and, 
assuming a dignified attitude, stamped his foot. 
‘‘ We will go to-morrow ! Why delay ? What 
enemy can we besiege here ? What is this hut 
to us ? What do we want of all this ? What 
are pots to us?” So saying, he began to 
knock the pots and flasks, and to throw them 
about. 

The poor old woman, well used to such ca- 
pers from her husband, looked sadly on from 
her seat on the wall-bench. She did not dare 
say any thing ; but when she heard the decis- 
ion which was so terrible for her, she could 
not refrain from tears. She looked at her chil- 
dren, from whom so speedy a separation was 


i6 


TARAS BULBA, 


threatened; and it is impossible to describe the 
full force of her speechless grief, which seemed 
to quiver in her eyes, and on her lips convuh 
sively pressed together. 

Bulba was terribly headstrong. He was one 
of the characters which could only exist in 
that fierce fifteenth century, in that half- 
nomadic corner of Europe, when the whole of 
Southern, original Russia, deserted by its 
princes, was laid waste, burned to the quick 
by pitiless troops of Mongolian robbers ; when 
men deprived of house and home were brave 
here ; when, amid conflagrations, in sight of 
threatening neighbors and eternal fear, they 
settled down, and grew accustomed to looking 
them straight in the face, and trained them- 
selves not to know that there was such a thing 
as fear in the world ; when the ancient, peace- 
able Slav spirit was seized with warlike flame, 
and the Cossack state was instituted, — a free, 
wild feast of Russian nature, — and when 
all the river-banks, fords, and suitable places 


TARAS BULBA. 


17 


were populated by Cossacks, whose number no 
man knew, and whose bold comrades had a 
right to reply to the Sultan inquiring how 
many they were, '' Who knows ? We are scat- 
tered all over the steppes : wherever there is a 
hillock, there is a Cossack/’ It was, in fact, a 
most remarkable exhibition of Russian strength ; 
dire necessity forced it from the bosom of the 
people. In place of the original provinces, 
petty towns filled with huntsmen and whip- 
pers-in, in place of the warring and bartering 
petty princes in cities, there arose great colo- 
nies, kurens,^ and districts, bound together by 
a common danger, and hatred towards the 
heathen robbers. The whole story is well 
known, how their incessant fighting and rest- 
less life saved Europe from the merciless 
hordes which threatened to overwhelm her. 
The Polish kings, finding themselves sove- 
reigns in place of the provincial princes, over 
these extensive lands, though they were dis- 

^ Cossack villages. In the Setch, a large wooden barrack. 


i8 


TARAS BULBA, 


tant and feeble, yet understood the significance 
of the Cossacks, and the advantages of this 
warlike, untrammelled life. They encouraged 
them, and flattered this disposition of mind. 
Under their distant rule, the hetmans, chosen 
from among the Cossacks themselves, re-dis- 
tributed the districts and villages (kurens) 
into regiments and uniform districts. It was 
not a regularly recruited army, no one saw 
it ; but in case of war and general uprising, 
it required a week, and no more, for every 
man to appear on horseback, fully armed, 
receiving only one ducat from the king; and 
in two weeks such an army had assembled 
as no recruiting officers would ever have been 
able to collect. When the expedition was 
ended, the army dispersed among fields and 
meadows, and the fords of the Dniepr; each 
affan fished, traded, brewed his beer, and was a 
free Cossack. Their foreign contemporaries 
rightly marvelled at their wonderful qualities. 
There was no trade which the Cossack did not 


TARAS BULBA. 


19 


know : he could distil brandy, make a telega 
(peasant’s wagon), make powder, do black- 
smith’s and locksmith’s work, in addition to 
committing wild excesses, drinking and carous- 
ing as only a Russian can, — all this he was 
equal to. Besides the registered Cossacks, who 
considered themselves bound to appear in time 
of war, it was possible to collect at any time, in 
case of dire need, a whole army of volunteers. 
All that was required was for the osaul to trav- 
erse all the market-places and squares of the 
villages and hamlets, and shout at the top of 
his voice, standing in his telega, Hey, ye 
distillers and beer-brewers ! ye have brewed 
enough beer, and lolled on your ovens, and fed 
your fat bodies with flour, long enough ! Rise, 
win glory and knightly honor! Ye plough- 
men, reapers of buckwheat, tenders of sheep, 
danglers after women, enough of following the 
plough, and dirtying your yellow shoes in the 
earth, and courting women, and wasting your 
knightly strength ! The hour has come to win 


20 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


glory for the Cossacks ! and these words were 
like sparks falling on dry wood. The husband- 
man broke his plough ; the brewers and dis- 
tillers threw away their casks, and destroyed 
their barrels ; the mechanic and merchant sent 
their trade and their shop to the devil, broke 
the pots and every thing else in their houses, 
and mounted their horses. In short, the Rus- 
sian character here received a broad, deep 
development, and a powerful outward expres- 
sion. 

Taras was one of the band of old, primitive 
colonels ; he was born for warlike emotions, 
and was distinguished for his uprightness of 
character. Then the influence of Poland had 
already begun to make itself felt upon the Rus- 
sian nobility. Many adopted Polish customs, 
began to display luxury, splendid staffs of ser- 
vants, hawks, huntsmen, dinners, and palaces. 
This was not to Taras’ taste. He liked the 
simple life of the Cossacks, and quarrelled with 
those of his comrades who were inclined to the 


TARAS BULBA, 


21 


Warsaw party, calling them serfs of the Polish 
nobles. Ever restless, he regarded himself as 
the legal protector of the faith. He entered 
despotically into a village where there was 
universal complaint of the oppression of the 
revenue farmers and the addition of fresh taxes 
on necessaries. He and his Cossacks executed 
justice, and made it a rule, that in three cases 
it was absolutely necessary to resort to the 
sword : namely, when the commissioners did 
not respect the superior officers, and stood 
before them in their caps ; when any one made 
light of the faith, and did not observe the cus- 
toms of his ancestors ; and, finally, when the 
enemy were Mussulmans or Turks, against 
whom he considered it permissible, in every 
case, to raise the sword for the glory of Chris- 
tianity. 

Now he rejoiced beforehand at the thought 
of how he would present himself with his two 
sons in the Setch, and say, ‘‘See what fine 
young fellows I have brought you ! how he 


22 


TARAS BULBA. 


would introduce them to all his old comrades, 
steeled in war; how he would observe their 
first exploits in the sciences of war and of 
carousing, which was also regarded as one 
of the principal knightly qualities. At first he 
had intended to send them forth alone ; but 
at the sight of their freshness, stature, and 
vigorous personal beauty, his martial spirit 
flashed up, and he resolved to go with them 
himself the very next day, although there was 
no necessity for this except his obstinate self- 
will. He began at once to hurry about and 
give orders ; he selected horses and trappings 
for his young sons, looked through the stables 
and storehouses, and chose servants to accom- 
pany them on the morrow. He delegated his 
power to Osaul Tovkatch, and gave with it a 
strict command to appear with his whole troop 
the very instant he should receive a message 
from him at Setch. Although he was jolly, and 
the effects of his drinking bout still lingered 
in his brain, he forgot nothing ; he even gave 


TARAS BULBA. 


23 


orders that the horses should be watered, their 
cribs filled, and that they should be fed with 
the best wheat ; and then he retired, fatigued 
with all his labors. 

Now, children, we must sleep, but to- 
morrow we shall do what God appoints. Don't 
prepare us a bed : we need no bed ; we will 
sleep in the courtyard." 

Night had but just covered the heavens, but 
Bulba always went to bed early. He lay 
down on a rug, and covered himself with a 
sheepskin jacket; for the night air was quite 
sharp, and Bulba liked to be warmly covered 
when he was at home. He was soon snoring, 
and the whole household speedily followed his 
v'xample. All snored and groaned as they lay 
in the different corners. The watchman went 
to sleep the first of all, because he had drunk 
so much in honor of his young masters' home- 
coming. 

The mother alone slept not. She bent over 
the pillow of her dear sons, as they lay side 


24 


TARAS BULBA. 


by side ; she smoothed with a comb their care- 
lessly tangled young curls, and moistened them 
with her tears. She gazed at them with her 
whole being, with every sense ; she was wholly 
merged in the gaze, and yet she could not 
gaze enough. She had nourished them at her 
own breast, she had tended them and brought 
them up; and now to see them only for an 
instant ! My sons, my darling sons ! what 
will become of you.^ what awaits you.^*' she 
said, and her tears stood in the wrinkles which 
disfigured her formerly beautiful face. In 
truth she was to be pitied, as was every woman 
of that long-past period. She lived only for a 
moment in love, only during the first ardor of 
passion, only during the first flush of youth; 
and then her grim betrayer deserted her for 
the sword, for his comrades and his carouses. 
She saw her husband two or three days in a 
year, and then, for several years, heard nothing 
of him. And when she did see him, when they 
did live together, what life was hers } She 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


25 


endured insult, even blows; she saw caresses 
bestowed only in pity; she was a strange 
object in that community of unmarried cava- 
liers, upon which wandering Zaporozhe cast a 
coloring of its own. Her pleasureless youth 
flitted by ; and her splendidly beautiful cheeks 
and bosom withered away unkissed, and became 
covered with premature wrinkles. All her 
love, all her feeling, every thing that is tender 
and passionate in a woman, was converted in 
her into maternal love. She hovered around 
her children with anxiety, passion, tears, like 
the gull of the steppes. They were taking her 
sons, her darling sons, from her, — taking them 
from her, so that she should never see them 
again ! Who knows ? Perhaps a Tatar will 
cut off their heads in the very first skirmish, 
and she will never know where their deserted 
bodies lie, torn by birds of prey ; and yet for 
each drop of their blood she would have given 
all of hers. Sobbing, she gazed into their eyes, 
even when all-powerful sleep began to close 


26 


TARAS BULBA. 


them, and thought, Perhaps Bulba, when he 
wakes, will put off their departure for a little 
day or two ; perhaps it occurred to him to go 
so soon, because he had been drinking.** 

The moon from the height of heaven had 
long since illuminated the whole courtyard 
filled with sleepers, the thick clump of willows, 
and the tall steppe-grass which hid the pali- 
sade surrounding the court. She still sat at 
her dear sons* pillow, never removing her eyes 
from them for a moment, or thinking of sleep. 
Already the horses, divining the approach of 
dawn, had all ceased eating, and lain down upon 
the grass ; the topmost leaves of the willows 
began to rustle softly, and little by little the 
rippling rustle descended to their bases. She 
sat there until daylight, unwearied, and wished 
in her heart that the night might prolong 
itself indefinitely. From the steppes came the 
ringing neigh of the horses, and red tongues 
shone brightly in the sky. Bulba suddenly 
awoke, and sprang to his feet. He remembered 


TARAS BULBA. 


27 


quite well what he had ordered the night 
before. Now, people, you've slept enough ! 
'tis time, 'tis time! Water the horses! And 
where is the old woman } " (he generally 
called his wife so.) ‘‘Be quick, old woman, get 
us something to eat: the way is long." 

The poor old woman, deprived of her last 
hope, slipped sadly into the cottage. . 

While she, with tears, prepared what was 
needed for breakfast, Bulba distributed his 
orders, went to the stable, and selected his 
best trappings for his children with his own 
hand. 

The collegians were suddenly transformed. 
Red morocco boots with silver heels took the 
place of their dirty old ones ; trousers wide as 
the Black Sea, with thousands of folds and 
plaits, were supported by golden girdles ; from 
the girdle hung a long, slender thong, with tas- 
sels and other tinkling things, for pipes. The 
jacket of fiery red cloth was confined by a 
flowered belt; engraved Turkish pistols were 


28 


TARAS BULBA. 


thrust through the belt ; their swords clanged 
at their heels. Their faces, already a little sun- 
burnt, seemed to have grown handsomer and 
whiter; the little black mustaches now cast a 
more distinct shadow on this pallor and their 
strong, healthy, youthful complexions. They 
were very handsome in their black sheepskin 
caps, with gold crowns. 

When their poor mother saw them, she could 
not utter a word, and tears stood in her eyes. 

‘‘Now, sons, all is ready; no delay!'* said 
Bulba at last. “Now we must all sit down 
together, in accordance with our Christian 
custom before a journey." 

All sat down, not excepting the servants, who 
had been standing respectfully at the door. 

“Now, mother, bless your children," said 
Bulba. “ Pray God that they may fight brave- 
ly, always defend their knightly honor, always 
defend the faith of Christ; and, if not, that 
they may die, so that their breath may not be 
longer in the world. 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


29 


'' Come to your mother, children ; a mother’s 
prayer saves on land and sea.” 

The mother, weak as mothers are, embraced 
them, drew out two small images, and placed 
them, sobbing, on their necks. *‘May God’s 
mother — keep you ! Little sons, forget not 
your mother — send some little word of your- 
selves” — She could say no more. 

‘^Now, children, let us go,” said Bulba. 

At the door stood the horses, ready saddled. 
Bulba sprang upon his Devil,” which jumped 
madly back, feeling on his back a load of twelve 
poods,* for Taras was extremely stout and 
heavy. 

When the mother saw that her sons were 
also mounted on their horses, she flung her- 
self towards the younger, whose features ex- 
pressed somewhat more gentleness than those 
of the other. She grasped his stirrup, clung to 
his saddle, and, with despair in her eyes, would 
not loose him from her hands. Two stout Cos- 


* A pood is about forty pounds. 


30 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


sacks seized her carefully, and carried her into 
the cottage. But before they had passed 
through the gate, with the speed of a wild 
goat, quite disproportioned to her years, she 
rushed to the gate, with irresistible strength 
stopped a horse, and embraced one of her sons 
with mad, unconscious violence. Then they 
led her away again. 

The young Cossacks rode on sadly, and re- 
pressed their tears out of fear of their father, 
who, on his side, was somewhat moved, although 
he strove not to show it. The day was gray, 
the green shone brightly, the birds twittered 
rather discordantly. They glanced back as 
they rode. Their farm seemed to have sunk 
into the earth. All that was visible above the 
surface were the two chimneys of their modest 
cottage, and the crests of the trees up whose 
trunks they had been used to climb like squir- 
rels ; before them still stretched the field by 
which they could recall the whole story of their 
lives, from the years when they rolled in its 


TARAS BULBA. 


31 


dewy grass, up to the years when they awaited 
in it a black-browed Cossack maiden, who ran 
timidly across it with her quick young feet. 
There is the pole above the well, with the 
telega wheel fastened on top, rising solitary 
against the sky ; already the level which they 
have traversed appears a hill in the distance, 
and all has disappeared. Farewell, childhood, 
games, all, all, farewell ! 


32 


TARAS BULBA. 


II. 

All three horsemen rode in silence. Old 
Taras’s thoughts were far away : before him 
passed his youth, his years, — his swift-flying 
years, over which the Cossack always weeps, 
wishing that his life might be all youth. He 
wondered whom of his former comrades he 
should meet in the Setch. He reckoned up 
how many had aFready died, how many were 
still alive. Tears formed slowly in his eyes, 
and his gray head bowed sadly. 

His sons were occupied with other thoughts. 
But we must speak further of his sons. They 
had been sent, when twelve years old, to the 
academy at Kief, because all respectable offi- 
cials of that day considered it indispensable to 
give their children an education, although it 
was afterwards utterly forgotten. Like all who 


TARAS BULBA, 


33 


entered the academy, they were wild, brought 
up in unrestrained freedom ; and there they 
generally acquired some polish, and learned 
some common branches which gave them a 
certain resemblance to each other. 

The eldest, Ostap, began his career by run- 
ning away in the course of the first year. They 
brought him back, whipped him well, and set 
him down to his books. Four times did he 
bury his A B C book in the earth ; and four 
times, after bestowing upon him a sound thrash- 
ing, did they buy him a new one. But he 
would have repeated it for the fifth time, doubt- 
less, had not his father given him a solemn 
assurance that he would keep him at monastic 
employments for twenty years, and had he not 
sworn in advance that he should never behold 
Zaporozhe all his life long, unless he learned all 
sciences in the academy. It was odd, that he 
who said this was that very Taras Bulba who 
condemned all learning, and counselled his 
children, as we have seen, not to trouble them- 


34 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


selves about it at all. From that moment, 
Ostap began to sit over his tiresome books with 
exemplary diligence, and quickly stood on a 
level with the best. The style of education in 
that age differed widely from the manner of 
life. These scholastic, grammatical, rhetorical, 
and logical subtilties were decidedly out of con- 
sonance with the times, never had any connec- 
tion with and never were encountered in actual 
life. Those who studied them could not apply 
their knowledge to any thing whatever, not 
even the least scholastic of them. The learned 
men of those days were even more incapable 
than the rest, because farther removed from all 
experience. Moreover, the fearfully republican 
constitution of the academy, the fearful multi- 
tude of young, healthy, strong fellows, — all this 
must have inspired them with an activity quite 
outside the limits of their learning. Sometimes 
poor fare, or frequent punishments of fasting, 
the numerous requirements arising in fresh, 
strong, healthy youth, — all these things com- 


TARAS BULBA. 


35 


bined to arouse in them that spirit of enterprise 
which was afterwards further developed among 
the Zaporozhians. The hungry student ran 
about the streets of Kief, and forced every one 
to be on his guard. Merchants sitting in the 
bazaar always covered their pies, their hublikiy^ 
and pumpkin-rolls with their hands, like eagles 
protecting their young, if they but caught sight 
of a passing student. The consul, who was 
bound by his duty to oversee his comrades 
intrusted to his care, had such frightfully wide 
pockets to his trousers, that he could stow away 
the whole contents of the gaping merchant's 
stall. These students constituted an entirely 
separate world : they were not admitted to the 
highest circles, composed of Polish and Russian 
nobles. Even the Voevod, Adam Kisel, in 
spite of the patronage he bestowed upon the 
academy, did not introduce them into society, 
and ordered them to be kept more strictly. 
This command was quite superfluous, for 

* A kind of greasy cracknel. 


36 


TARAS BULBA. 


neither the rector nor the professor-monks 
spared rod or whip ; and the lictors sometimes, 
by their orders, whipped their consuls so 
severely, that the latter rubbed their trousers 
for weeks afterwards. This was nothing to 
many of them, and seemed only a little stronger 
than good vodka with pepper: others at last 
grew tired of such constant blisters, and ran 
away to Zaporozhe if they could find the 
road, and if they were not caught on the way. 
Ostap Bulba, although he began logic, and even 
theology, with much zeal, did not escape the 
merciless rod. Naturally, all this must have 
tended to harden his character, and give him 
that firmness which distinguishes the Cossacks. 
Ostap always held himself aloof from his 
comrades. 

He rarely led the others into hazardous 
enterprises, — robbing a strange garden or 
orchard ; but, on the other hand, he was 
always among the first to join the standard 
of an adventurous student. And never, under 


TARAS BULBA. 


37 


any circumstances, did he betray his comrades : 
neither imprisonment nor beatings could make 
him do it. He was unassailable by any temp- 
tations except those of war and wild carouse : 
at least, he almost never dreamt of any others. 
He was upright with his equals. He was kind- 
hearted, in the only way that kind-heartedness 
could exist in such a character and at such a 
time. He was moved from his very heart by his 
poor mother’s tears ; but it only troubled him, 
and caused him to hang his head in thought. 

His younger brother, Andrii, had rather live- 
lier and more developed feelings. He learned 
more willingly, and without the effort with 
which strong and heavy characters generally 
apply themselves. He was more inventive 
than his brother, and frequently appeared as 
the leader of very dangerous expeditions ; and 
sometimes, thanks to the quickness of his 
mind, contrived to escape punishment, while 
his brother Ostap, abandoning all efforts, 
stripped off his svitka, and lay down upon 


38 


TARAS BULBA. 


the floor without a thought of begging for 
mercy. He also thirsted for action ; but, at 
the same time, his spirit was accessible to 
other sentiments. The need of love flamed 
ardently within him. When he had passed his 
eighteenth year, woman began to present her- 
self more frequently in his burning dreams : 
listening to philosophical discussions, he be- 
held her each moment, fresh, black-eyed, ten- 
der ; before him flitted constantly her bright, 
elastic bosom, her soft, beautiful bare arms ; the 
very gown which clung about her childish yet 
vigorous limbs breathed into his visions a cer- 
tain inexpressible sensuousness. He carefully 
concealed from his comrades this movement 
of his passionate young soul, because, in that 
age, it was shameful and dishonorable for a 
Cossack to think of love and a wife before he 
had tasted battle. On the whole, during the 
last year, he had served more rarely as leader 
of bands of students ; but he roamed about 
more frequently alone, in the remote corners of 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


39 


Kief, buried in cherry-orchards, among low- 
roofed houses peeping alluringly at the street. 
Sometimes he betook himself to the streets 
of the aristocrats, in the old Kief of to-day, 
where dwelt little Russian and Polish nobles, 
and where the houses were built in more fan- 
ciful style. Once, as he was gaping along, an 
old-fashioned carriage belonging to some Polish 
Pan (gentleman) almost drove over him ; and 
the coachman with very terrible mustaches, 
who sat on the box, gave him quit§ a smart 
cut with his whip. The young student fired 
up ; with thoughtless daring, he seized the 
hind - wheel with his powerful hands, and 
stopped the carriage. But the coachman, 
fearing a reckoning, lashed his horses ; they 
sprang forward, and Andrfi, succeeding hap- 
pily in freeing his hands, was flung full length 
on the ground, with his face flat in the mud. 
The most ringing and harmonious of laughs 
resounded above him. He raised his eyes, and 
saw, standing at a window, a beauty such as he 


40 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


had never beheld in all his life, black-eyed, and 
white as snow illumined by the dawning flush 
of the sun. She was laughing heartily, and 
her laugh lent brilliant power to her dazzling 
loveliness. He was taken aback : he gazed at 
her, all confused, abstractedly wiping the mud 
from his face, by which means it became still 
further smeared. Who could this beauty be.^ 
He would have liked to find out from the 
servants, who, in rich liveries, stood beside the 
gate in a crowd surrounding a young bandoura- 
player; but the servants raised a laugh when 
they saw his besmeared face, and deigned him 
no reply. At length he learned that she was 
the daughter of the Voevod of Koven, who 
had come thither for a time. The following 
night, with the daring characteristic of the 
student, alone, he crept through the palings 
into the garden, and climbed a tree which 
spread its branches upon the very roof of the 
house ; from the tree he crawled upon the 
roof, and made his way through the chimney 


TARAS BULBA, 


41 


straight into the bedroom of the beauty, who 
at that moment was seated before a light, en- 
gaged in removing the costly earrings from her 
ears. The beautiful Pole was so alarmed on 
suddenly beholding an unknown man before 
her, that she could not utter a single word ; 
but when she perceived that the student stood 
before her with downcast eyes, not daring to 
move a hand through timidity, when she recog- 
nized in him the one who had fallen in the 
street before her, laughter again overpowered 
her. 

Moreover, there was nothing terrible in 
Andrh’s features ; he was very handsome. 
She laughed heartily, and amused herself over 
him for a long time. Our beauty was giddy, 
like all Poles ; but her eyes, her wondrous clear, 
piercing eyes, threw a glance, a long glance. 
The student could not move a hand, but stood 
bound as in a sack, when the Voevod’s daughter 
approached him boldly, placed upon his head 
her glittering diadem, hung her earrings on his 


42 


TARAS BULBA, 


lips, and flung over him a transparent muslin 
chemisette with gold - embroidered garlands. 
She adorned him, and played a thousand foolish 
pranks, with the abandon of a child, which dis- 
tinguishes the giddy Poles, and which threw 
the poor student into still greater confusion. 

He presented a ridiculous figure, gazing im- 
movably, with open mouth, into her dazzling 
eyes. A knock at the door startled her. She 
ordered him to conceal himself under the bed, 
and, as soon as the disturbance was past, called 
her maid, a Tatar prisoner, and gave her 
orders to conduct him to the garden with 
caution, and thence show him through the 
fence. But our student this time did not pass 
the fence so successfully. The watchman 
awoke, and caught him firmly by the foot; 
and the servants, assembling, beat him long, 
even in the street, until his swift legs rescued 
him. After that it was very dangerous to 
pass the house, because the Voevod*s domes- 
tics were numerous. He met her once again 


TARAS BULBA, 


43 


at church. She saw him, and smiled very 
pleasantly, as at an old acquaintance. He 
saw her once more, by chance ; and shortly 
afterwards the Voevod departed, and, instead 
of the beautiful black-eyed Pole, some fat face 
or other gazed from the window. That was 
what Andrfi was thinking about, as he hung 
his head, and dropped his eyes on his horse’s 
mane. 

In the mean time the steppe had long since 
received them all into its green embrace; and 
the high grass, closing round, concealed them, 
and only their black Cossack caps appeared 
among its heads. 

Eh, eh, why are you so quiet, lads } ” said 
Bulba at length, waking from his own revery. 
‘‘You’re like monks. Now, all thinking to 
the Evil One, once for all! Take your pipes 
in your lips, and let us smoke, and spur on 
our horses, and fly so swiftly that no bird 
can overtake us.” 

And the Cossacks, bending low on their 


44 


TAJ^AS BULBA. 


horses, disappeared in the grass. Their black 
caps were no longer to be seen ; a streak of 
trodden grass alone showed a trace of their 
swift flight. 

The sun had long looked forth from the 
clear heavens, and inundated the steppe with 
his quickening, warming light. All that was 
dim and sleepy in the Cossacks' minds flew 
away in a twinkling : their hearts fluttered 
like birds. 

The farther they penetrated the steppe, the 
more beautiful it became. Then all the South, 
all that region which now constitutes New 
Russia, even to the Black Sea, was a green, 
virgin wilderness. No plough had ever passed 
over the immeasurable waves of wild growth ; 
the horses alone, hiding themselves in it as 
in a forest, trod it down. Nothing in nature 
could be finer. The whole surface of the 
earth presented itself as a green-gold ocean, 
upon which were sprinkled millions of differ- 
ent flowers. Through the tall, slender stems 


TARAS BULBA. 


45 


of the grass peeped light-blue, dark-blue, and 
lilac star-thistles ; the yellow broom thrust 
up its pyramidal head ; the parasol-shaped 
white flower of the false flax shimmered on 
high. A wheat - ear, brought God knows , 
whence, was filling out to ripening. About 
their slender roots ran partridges with out- 
stretched necks. The air was filled with the 
notes of a thousand different birds. In the ' 
sky, immovable, hung the hawks, their wings 
outspread, and their eyes fixed intently on the 
grass. The cries of a cloud of wild ducks, 
moving up from one side, were echoed from 
God knows what distant lake. From the 
grass arose, with measured sweep, a gull, and 
bathed luxuriously in blue waves of air. 
And now she has vanished on high, and ap- 
pears only as a black dot : now she has 
turned her wings, and shines in the sun-- 
light. Deuce take you, steppes, how beautiful 
you are ! . . . 

Our travellers halted only a few minutes 


46 


TARAS BULBA, 


for dinner : their escort of ten Cossacks sprang 
from their horses, unbound the wooden casks 
of brandy, and the gourds which were used 
instead of drinking-vessels. They ate only 
cakes of bread and tallow (korzii ) ; they drank 
but one cup apiece to strengthen them (for 
Taras Bulba never permitted intoxication upon 
the road), and then continued their journey 
until evening. 

In the evening the whole steppe changed 
its aspect. All its varied expanse was bathed 
in the last bright glow of the sun ; and it 
grew dark gradually, so that it could be seen 
how the shadow flitted across it, and it became 
dark green. The mist rose more densely ; 
each flower, each blade of grass, emitted a 
fragrance as of amber, and the whole steppe 
distilled perfume. Wide bands of rosy gold 
were dashed across the dark blue heaven, as 
with a gigantic brush ; here and there gleamed, 
in white tufts, light and transparent clouds ; and 
the fr^^he^t, most bewitching of little breezes 


TARAS BULBA. 


47 


barely rocked the tops of the grass-blades, 
as on the sea-waves, and almost stroked the 
cheek. All the music which had resounded 
through the day had died away, and given 
place to another. The striped marmots crept 
out of their holes, stood erect on their hind- 
legs, and filled the steppe with their whistle. 
The whirr of the grasshoppers had become 
more distinctly audible. Sometimes the cry of 
the swan was heard from some distant lake, 
and rang through the air like silver. The 
travellers halted in the midst of the plain, se- 
lected a spot for their night encampment, made 
a fire, and hung their kettle over it, in which 
they cooked their oatmeal ; the steam rose and 
floated aslant in the air. Having supped, the 
Cossacks lay down to sleep, after hobbling 
their horses, and turning them out to graze. 
They lay down in their svitkas. The stars of 
night gazed directly down upon them. They 
heard the countless myriads of insects which 
filled the grass ; all their rasping, whistling. 


48 


TARAS BULBA. 


and chirping resounded clearly through the 
night, softened by the fresh air, and lulled the 
drowsy ear. If one of them rose and stood for 
a time, the steppe presented itself to him 
strewn with the sparks of the glow-worms. 
At times the night sky was illumined in 
spots by the glare of burning dry reeds, along 
pools or river-bank ; and dark flights of swans 
flying to the north were suddenly lighted up 
by the silvery, rose-colored gleam, and then 
it seemed as though red kerchiefs were float- 
ing in the dark heavens. 

The travellers proceeded without any adven- 
ture. They came across no villages. 'Twas 
ever the same boundless, waving, beautiful 
steppe. Only at intervals the crests of dis- 
tant forests shone blue, on one hand, as they 
stretched along the banks of the Dniepr. 
Only once did Taras point out to his sons 
a small black speck far away on the grass, 
saying, ‘‘ Look, children ! yonder gallops a 
Tatar. ** The little head with mustaches fixed 


TARAS BULBA. 


49 


its narrow eyes straight upon them from the 
distance, snuffing the air like a greyhound, and 
disappeared like an antelope on perceiving 
that the Cossacks were thirty strong. ‘^And 
now, children, try to overtake the Tatar ! And 
don’t try: you would never catch him to all 
eternity ; he has a horse swifter than my 
Devil. ” But Bulba took precautions, fearing 
hidden ambushes. They galloped along the 
course of a small stream, called the Tatarka, 
falling into the Dniepr; rode into the water 
with their horses, and swam long to conceal 
their trail; and then, climbing out on the 
shore, continued on their road. 

Three days later, they were not far from 
the place which formed the goal of their 
journey. The air suddenly grew colder: they 
could feel the vicinity of the Dniepr. And 
there it gleams afar, and is distinguishable from 
the horizon as a dark band. It sent forth cold 
waves, and spread nearer, nearer, and finally 
embraced half the entire surface of the earth. 


50 


TARAS BULBA. 


This was that part of the Dniepr where the 
river, hitherto confined by the rapids, finally 
makes its own way, and roars like the sea, 
pouring forth at will where the islands, flung 
into its midst, have pressed it farther from 
the shores, and its waves have spread widely 
over the earth, encountering neither cliffs nor 
hills. The Cossacks alighted from their 
horses, entered the ferry-boat, and after three 
hours of sailing arrived at the shores of the 
island of Khortitz, where at that time stood the 
Setch, which so often changed its situation. 

A throng of people hastened to the shore 
with boats. The Cossacks arranged the 
horses. Taras assumed a stately air, pulled 
his belt tighter, and drew his hand proudly 
over his mustache. His young sons also 
inspected themselves from head to foot, with 
some apprehension and an undefined feeling of 
satisfaction; and all set out together for the 
suburb, which was half a ' verst from the 
Setch. On their arrival, they were deafened 


TARAS BULBA. 


SI 


by fifty blacksmiths’ hammers beating upon 
twenty* five anvils sunk in the earth and 
concealed with turf. Stout tanners sat on the 
street, beneath awnings, scraping ox-hides with 
their strong hands ; shop-keepers sat in their 
booths, with piles of flints, steels, and powder; 
Armenians spread out their rich handkerchiefs ; 
Tatars turned their mutton-chops with dough 
upon the spits; a Jew, with his head thrust 
forward, was filtering some corn-brandy from 
a cask. But the first man they met was a 
Zaporozhetz ^ who was sleeping in the very 
middle of the road with legs and arms 
outstretched. Taras Bulba could not refrain 
from pausing to admire him. “ Eh, how 
splendidly developed he is ! phew, what a 
magnificent figure ! ” he said, stopping his 
horse. It was, in fact, a very striking picture. 
The Zaporozhetz had stretched himself out in 
the road like a lion ; his scalp-lock, thrown 
proudly behind him, stretched over half an 


* Sometimes written Zaporovian. 


52 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


arshin ^ of ground ; his trousers of rich red 
cloth were spotted with tar, to show his utter 
disdain for them. Having admired to his 
heart’s content, Bulba passed on through the 
narrow street, which was crowded with me- 
chanics exercising their trades, and with 
people of all nationalities who thronged this 
suburb of the Setch, which resembled a fair, 
and fed and clothed the Setch, which knew 
only how to revel, and fire off guns. 

At length they left the suburb behind 
them, and perceived some scattered kurens,^ 
covered with turf, or with felt in Tatar fashion. 
Some were furnished with cannon. Nowhere 
were there any fences visible, or any of 
those low-roofed houses with awning support- 
ed upon low wooden pillars, such as there 
were in the suburb. A small wall and ditch, 
totally unguarded, showed a terrible degree of 
recklessness. Some sturdy Zaporozhtzi lying, 
pipe in mouth, in the very road, glanced 

* An arshin is twenty-eight inches. 

2 Enormous wooden sheds, each inhabited by a troop or kur4n. 


TARAS BULBA, 53 

indifferently at them, and never moved from 
their places. Taras threaded his way carefully 
among them, with his sons, saying, Good- 
day, panove. — ‘^Good-day to you,’' answered 
the Zaporozhtzi. All over the plain were 
picturesque groups of people. From their 
weather-beaten faces, it was plain that all 
were steeled in battle, and had undergone 
every sort of bad weather. And there it 
was, the Setch! There was the nest from 
which all those men, proud and strong as 
lions, issued forth ! There was the place 
whence poured forth liberty and Cossacks 
over all the Ukraine. 

The travellers entered the great square 
where the council generally assembled. On 
a huge overturned cask, sat a Zaporozhetz 
without his shirt ; he was holding it in his 
hands, and slowly sewing up the holes. Again 
their way was stopped by a whole crowd of 
musicians, in the midst of whom a young 
Zaporozhetz was dancing, with head thrown 


54 


TARAS BULBA, 


back and arms outstretched. He kept shout- 
ing, “ Play faster, musicians ! Begrudge not, 
Thoma, brandy to these orthodox Christians ! 
And Thoma, with his blackened eye, went 
on measuring out without stint, to every one 
who presented himself, a huge jugful. 

About the youthful Zaporozhetz, four old 
men moved their feet quite briskly, leaped 
like a whirlwind to one side, almost upon 
the musicians* heads, and, suddenly retreat- 
ing, squatted down and beat the hard earth 
vigorously with their silver heels. The earth 
hummed dully all about, and afar the air 
resounded with gopak and trepak * beaten out 
by the clanging heels of their boots. 

But one shouted more vivaciously than all 
the rest, and flew after the others in the dance. 
His cue streamed in the wind, his powerful 
breast was all uncovered, his warm winter fur 
jacket was hanging by the sleeves, and the 
perspiration poured from him as from a pail. 


* The national Cossack dance. 


TARAS BULBA. 


55 


^^Take off your jacket!’' said Taras at length: 
^^see how he steams!” — can’t!” shouted 
the Cossack. ^‘Why.^” — '‘I can’t : I have 
such a disposition, whatever I take off, I drink 
up.” And the young man had not had a cap 
for a long time, nor a belt to his caftan, nor 
an embroidered neckerchief : all had gone the 
proper road. The throng increased ; more 
joined the dancer : and it was impossible to 
observe without emotion, how all yielded to 
that dance, the freest, the wildest, the world 
has ever seen, and which is called from its 
mighty originators, the Kosachka. 

Oh, if I had no horse to hold,” exclaimed 
Taras, *‘I would join the dance myself! ” 

And meanwhile there began to appear 
among the throng, men who were respected 
for their prowess throughout all the Setch, — 
old grayheads, who had been leaders more 
than once. Taras soon found a number of 
familiar faces. Ostap and Andrfi heard noth- 
ing but greetings. ‘‘Ah, it is you, Petcheritza! 


TARAS BULBA. 


56 

Good day, Kozolup ! ” — “ Whence has God 
brought you, Taras?'* — ‘'How did you come 
here, Doloto? Health to you, Kirdyaga! 
Hail to you, Gustui ! Did I ever think of see- 
ing you. Remen?" And the heroes collected 
from all the roving population of Eastern 
Russia kissed each other, and began to ask 
questions. “But what has become of Kas- 
yan ? Where is Borodavka ? and Koloper ? 
and Pidsuitok ? " And in reply, Taras Bulba 
learned that Borodavka had been hung in 
Tolopan, that Koloper had been flayed alive 
at Kizikirmen, that Pidsuitok's head had been 
salted and sent in a cask to Constantinople. 
Old Bulba hung his head, and said thought- 
fully, “They were good Cossacks." 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


57 


III. 

Taras Bulba and his sons had been in 
the Setch about a week. Ostap and An- 
drfi occupied themselves but little with the 
school of war. The Setch was not fond of 
troubling itself with warlike exercises, and 
wasting time. The young generation grew 
up, and learned these by experience alone, 
in the very heat of battles, which were there- 
fore incessant. The Cossacks thought it a 
nuisance to fill up the intervals of this in- 
struction with any sort of drill, except per- 
haps shooting at a mark, and on rare occasions 
with horse-racing and wild-beast hunts on the 
steppes and in the forests. All the rest of 
the time was devoted to revelry, — a sign of 
the wide diffusion of moral liberty. All the 
Setch presented an unusual scene : it was one 


58 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


unbroken revel ; a ball noisily begun, which 
had lost its end. Some busied themselves 
with trades, others kept little shops and 
traded ; but the majority caroused from morn- 
ing till night, if the wherewithal jingled in 
their pockets, and if the booty they had cap- 
tured had not passed into the hands of the 
shopkeepers and pot-house keepers. This uni- 
versal revelry had something fascinating about 
it. It was not an assembly of topers, who 
drank to drown sorrow, but it was simply a 
wild revelry of joy. Every one who came 
thither forgot every thing, abandoned every 
thing which had hitherto interested him. He, 
so to speak, spit on all his past, and gave 
himself recklessly up to freedom and the 
good-fellowship of men of the same stamp as 
himself, — idlers having neither relatives nor 
home nor family, nothing except the free 
sky, and the eternal revel of their souls. This 
gave rise to that wild gayety which could not 
have come from any other source. The tales 


TARAS BULBA. 


59 


and talk among the assembled crowd, which 
reposed lazily on the ground, were often so 
droll, and breathed such power of vivid narra- 
tion, that it required all the nonchalance of 
a Zaporozhetz to retain his immovable expres- 
sion, without even a twitch of the mustache, 
— a sharp trait which to this day distin- 
guishes the Southern Russian from his breth- 
ren. It was drunken, noisy mirth ; but there 
was no black ale-house, where a man forgets 
himself in darkly seducing merriment : it was 
a dense throng of schoolboys. 

The only difference was, that, instead of 
sitting under the pointer and worn-out doc- 
trines of a teacher, they practised racing upon 
five thousand horses ; instead of the field 
where they played ball, they had the bound- 
less, untrammelled border-lands; and at the 
sight of them the Tatar showed his alert head, 
and the Turk gazed grimly in his green tur- 
ban. The difference was, that, instead of 
their forced companionship of school, they 


6o 


TARAS BULBA, 


themselves deserted their fathers and mothers, 
and fled from their homes ; that here were 
those about whose neck a rope had already 
been wound, and who, instead of pale death, 
had seen life, and life in all its intensity ; 
that here were those who, from generous 
habits, could never keep a kopek in their 
pockets ; that here were those who had hith- 
erto regarded a ducat as wealth, whose pockets, 
thanks to the Jew revenue-farmers, could have 
been turned wrong side out without any danger 
of any thing falling from them. Here all were 
students who would not endure the academic 
rod, and had not carried away a single letter 
from the schools ; but with them were also 
some who knew about Horace, Cicero, and 
the Roman Republic. There were many of 
them officers who afterwards distinguished 
themselves in the king's armies; and there 
were numerous and clever partisans, who cher- 
ished a magnanimous conviction that it was of 
no consequence where they fought, so long as 


TARAS BCTLBA. 


6l 


they fought, because it was a disgrace to an 
honorable man to live without fighting. There 
were many who had come to the Setch for the 
sake of being able to say afterwards that they 
had been in the Setch, and were therefore 
steeled warriors. But who was there not 
there } This strange republic was a neces- 
sary outgrowth of that epoch. Lovers of a 
warlike life, of golden beakers and rich bro- 
cades, of ducats and gold pieces, could always 
find employment there. The lovers of women 
alone could find nothing there, for no woman 
dared show herself even in the suburbs of the 
Setch. 

It seemed exceedingly strange to Ostap and 
Andrfi, that, though a crowd of people had 
come to the Setch with them, yet not a soul 
inquired. Whence come these men ^ who are 
they } and what are their names ^ They had 
come thither as though returning to their own 
homes whence they had departed only an hour 
before. The new-comer merely presented him- 


62 


TARAS BULBA. 


self to the koschevoi, who generally said, 
'' Welcome ! Do you believe in Christ ? — ‘‘ I 
do,” replied the new arrival. ‘‘And do you 
believe in the Holy Trinity — “I do.” — 
“ And you go to church ” — “I do.” — “Now 
cross yourself.” The new-comer crossed him- 
self. “Very good,” replied the koschevoi; 
“enter the kuren, where you are acquainted.” 
This concluded the ceremony. And all the 
Setch prayed in one church, and were willing 
to defend it to their last drop of blood, al- 
though they would not hear to fasting or 
abstinence. Jews, Armenians, and Tatars alone, 
inspired by strong avarice, took the liberty of 
living and trading in the suburbs ; for the Za- 
porozhtzi never cared for trade, and paid what- 
ever money their hand chanced to grasp in 
their pocket. Moreover, the lot of these gain- 
loving traders was pitiable in the extreme. 
They resembled people who had settled at the 
foot of Vesuvius ; for when the Zaporozhtzi 
lacked money, then the bold adventurers broke 


TARAS BULBA. 


63 


down their booths, and took every thing gratis. 
The Setoh consisted of over sixty kurens, 
which greatly resembled separate, independent 
republics, but still more a school or seminary 
of children, always ready for any thing. No 
one had any occupation ; no one retained any 
thing for himself; every thing was in the hands 
of the ataman of the kuren, who, on that 
account, generally went by the name of father."^ 
In his hands were deposited the money, clothes, 
all the provisions, oatmeal, groats, even the fire- 
wood. They gave him money to take care of. 
Quarrels in the kuren among its inhabitants 
were not infrequent ; in that case they pro- 
ceeded at once to blows. The inhabitants of 
the kuren swarmed upon the square, and beat 
each other's ribs in with their fists, until one 
side had finally gained the upper hand, when 
the revelry began. Such was the Setch, which 
had such an attraction for young men. 

Ostap and Andrh flung themselves into this 
sea of dissipation with all the ardor of youth, 


* Batka. 


64 


TARAS BULBA, 


and forgot in a trice their father’s house, the 
seminary, and all which had hitherto exercised 
their minds, and gave themselves up to their 
new life. Every thing interested them, — the 
jovial habits of the Setch, and the chaotic 
morals and laws, which seemed to them even 
too strict for such a free republic. If a Cos- 
sack stole the smallest trifle, it was considered 
a disgrace to the whole Cossack community : 
he was bound to the pillar of shame, and a club 
was laid beside him, with which each passer- 
by was bound to deal him a blow until in this 
manner he was beaten to death. He who did 
not pay his debts was chained to a cannon, 
where he was forced to sit until some one of 
his comrades should decide to ransom him by 
paying his debts for him. But what made 
the deepest impression on Andrfi was the 
terrible punishment decreed for murder. A 
hole was dug in his presence, the murderer 
was lowered alive into it, and over him was 
placed a coffin which . enclosed the body of 


TAIRAS BULBA, 65 

the man he had killed, after which the earth 
was thrown in upon both. Long afterwards 
the fearful ceremony of this horrible execution 
clung to his mind, and . the man who had been 
buried alive appeared to him with his terrible 
coffin. 

Both the young Cossacks soon took a good 
standing among the Cossacks. They often 
went out upon the steppe with comrades from 
their kuren, and sometimes also with the 
whole kuren or with neighboring kurens, to 
shoot innumerable steppe-birds of every sort, 
deer and goats ; or they went out upon the 
lakes, the river, and its tributaries allotted 
to each kuren, to throw their nets, and 
draw out rich prey for the enjoyment of 
the whole kuren. Although there was no 
trade there exercised by a Cossack, yet they 
were . soon remarked on among the other 
youths for their obstinate bravery and daring 
in every thing. Skilfully and accurately they 
fired at the mark, they swam the Dniepr 


66 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


against the current, — a deed for which the 
novice was triumphantly received into the 
circle of Cossacks. 

But old Taras prepared a different sphere of 
activity for them. Such an idle life was not 
to his mind : he wanted active employment. 
He reflected incessantly, how to stir up the 
Setch to some bold enterprise, where a man 
could carouse as became a knight. At length 
he went one day to the koschevoi, and said 
plainly, — 

‘‘Well, koschevoi, it is time for the Zapo- 
rozhtzi to set out."' 

“There is nowhere for them to go,’’ replied 
the koschevoi, removing his short pipe from 
his mouth, and spitting to one side. 

“How, nowhere.^ We can go to Turkey or 
Tartary.” 

“ Impossible to go either to Turkey or 
Tartary,” returned the koschevoi, putting his 
pipe coolly into his mouth again. 

“ Why impossible } ” 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


67 


is: we have promised the Sultan peace/’ 
But he is a Mussulman ; and God and 
the Holy Scriptures command us to kill the 
Mussulmans.” 

‘‘We have no right. If we had not sworn 
by our faith, then it might be done ; but now 
it is impossible.” 

“ How is it impossible } How can you say 
that we have no right } Here are my two 
sons, both young men. Neither one has been 
to war; and you say that we have no right, 
and you say that there is no necessity for the 
Zaporozhtzi to set out on an expedition.” 

“Well, it is not fitting.” 

“ Then it must be fitting that Cossack 
strength should be wasted in vain, that a man 
should disappear like a dog without having 
done a single good deed, that he should be 
of no use to his country or to Christianity ! 
Then why do we live 1 What the deuce do we 
live for.'^ just tell me that. You are a sensible 
man, you were not chosen as koschevoi without 
reason : just tell me what we live for .^ ” 


68 


TARAS BULBA, 


The koschevoi made no reply to this ques- 
tion. He was an obstinate Cossack. He was 
silent for a while, and then said, ‘‘Anyway, 
there will not be war.*' 

“There will not be war.?” Taras asked 
again. 

“ No.” 

“ Then it is of no use to think about it .? ” 

“ It is not to be thought of.” 

“Wait, you devil's fist!” said Taras to 
himself: “you'll learn to know me!” and 
he at once resolved to have his revenge on 
the koschevoi. 

Having entered into an agreement with one 
and another, he gave them liquor ; and the 
drunken Cossacks, several in number, stag- 
gered straight to the square, where on a post 
hung the kettledrums, which were generally 
beaten to assemble the people : not finding 
the sticks, which were kept by the drummer, 
they seized a piece of wood, and began to 
beat. The first to respond to the drum-beat 


TARAS BULBA, 69 

was the drummer, a tall man with but one 
eye, but a frightfully sleepy one for all that. 

** Who dares to beat the drum } ” he shouted. 

Hold your tongue ! take your sticks, and 
beat when you are ordered ! '' replied the 
drunken men. 

The drummer at once took from his pocket 
the sticks which he had brought with him, 
knowing well the result of such proceedings. 
The drum rattled, and soon black swarms of 
Cossacks began to collect like bees in the 
square. All formed in a ring ; and at length, 
after the third summons, the chiefs began to 
arrive, — the koschevoi with staff in hand, the 
symbol of his office; the judge with the army- 
seal ; the secretary with his ink-bottle ; and 
the osaul with his staff. The koschevoi and 
chiefs took off their caps, and bowed on all 
sides to the Cossacks, who stood proudly with 
their arms akimbo. 

What means this assemblage } what do you 
wish, gentlemen {pa^iove) } said the kosche- 


70 


TARAS BULBA, 


voi. Shouts and exclamations interrupted his 
speech. 

“ Resign your staff ! resign your staff this 
moment, you son of Satan ! we will have 
you no longer!’* shouted Cossacks in the 
crowd. Some of the sober ones appeared to 
wish to oppose this, but the sober and drunken 
fell to blows. The shouting and uproar be- 
came universal. 

The koschevoi attempted to speak ; but 
knowing that the self-willed multitude, if en- 
raged, might beat him to death, which almost 
always happened in such cases, he bowed very 
low, laid down his staff, and hid himself in 
the crowd. 

‘‘Do you command us, panove, to resign 
our insignia of office.^” said the judge, the 
secretary, and the osaul ; and they prepared 
to give up the inkhorn, army-seal, and staff, 
upon the spot. 

“ No, you are to remain ! *’ was shouted from 
the crowd. “We only wanted to drive out the 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


71 


koschevoi because he is a woman, and we 
want a man for koschevoi.’* 

‘‘ Whom do you now elect as .koschevoi ? ** 
asked the chiefs. 

‘‘Choose Kukubenko,” shouted some. 

“We won’t have Kukubenko ! ” screamed 
another party : “ it is too early for him ; the 
milk has not dried off his lips yet.” 

“ Let Schilo be ataman ! ” shouted some : 
“ make Schilo koschevoi ! ” 

“Enough of your Schilo !” yelled the crowd; 
“what kind of a Cossack is he who is as 
thievish as a Tatar .L To the devil in a sack, 
with your drunken Schilo ! ” 

“ Borodaty ! let us make Borodaty kosche- 
voi ! ” 

“We won’t have Borodaty! To the evil 
one’s mother with Borodaty!” 

“Shout Kirdyaga,” whispered Taras Bulba 
to several. 

“ Kirdyaga, Kirdyaga ! ” shouted the crowd. 
“ Borodaty, Borodaty ! Kirdyaga, Kirdyaga ! 
Schilo ! Away with Schilo ! Kirdyaga ! ” 


72 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


All the candidates, on hearing their names 
mentioned, stepped out of the crowd, in order 
not to give any one a chance to suppose that 
they were personally assisting in their election. 

‘‘ Kirdyaga, Kirdyaga ! '' echoed more strong- 
ly than the rest. 

‘‘ Borodaty ! ” 

They proceeded to decide the matter by a 
show of hands, and Kirdyaga conquered. 

Go for Kirdyaga ! they shouted. Half a 
score of Cossacks immediately stepped from 
the crowd, — some of them could hardly keep 
their feet, to such an extent had they drunk, 
— and went directly to Kirdyaga to inform 
him of his election. 

Kirdyaga, a very old but wise Cossack, had 
been sitting for a long time in his kuren, as 
if he knew nothing of what was going on. 

\ “ What is it, pandve } What do you wish ? 

he inquired. 

‘‘Come, they have chosen you for kosche- 
voi.*' 


TAJ^AS BULBA. 


73 


Have mercy, panove ! ” said Kirdyaga. 

How am I worthy of such honor ? Why 
should I be made koschevoi ? I have not 
sufficient capacity to discharge such a duty. 
Could no better person be found in all the 
army ? ” 

Come, I say ! ” shouted the Zaporozhtzi. 
Two of them seized him by the arms ; and in 
spite of his planting his feet firmly they finally 
dragged him to the square, accompanied by 
shouts, thrusts from behind with fists, kicks, 
and exhortations. Don't hold back, you son 
of Satan ! Accept the honor, you dog, when 
it is given ! " In this manner Kirdyaga was 
conducted into the ring of Cossacks. 

‘‘ How now, panove " announced those who 
had brought him, ‘‘are you agreed that this 
Cossack shall be your koschevoi } " 

“All agreed!" shouted the throng, and the 
whole plain trembled for a long time after- 
wards from the shout. 

One of the chiefs took the staff, and brought 


74 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


it to the newly elected koschevoi. Kirdyaga, 
in accordance with custom, immediately re- 
fused it. The chief offered it a second time ; 
Kirdyaga again declined it, and then, at the 
third offer, accepted the staff. A shout of 
approbation rang through the crowd, and again 
the whole plain resounded afar from the Cos- 
sacks’ -shout. Then there stepped out, from 
among the people, the four oldest of all, whiter 
bearded, white-haired Cossacks (there were no 
very old men in the Setch, for none of the 
2aporozhtzi ever died in their beds) ; and 
taking each a handful of earth, which recent 
rain had converted into mud, they laid it on 
his head. The wet earth trickled down from 
his head, ran on his- ‘mustache and cheeks, and 
smeared his whole face. But Kirdyaga stood 
immovable in his place, and thanked the Cos- 
sacks for the honor shown him. 

Thus ended the noisy election, concerning 
which we cannot say whether it was as pleas- 
ing to the others as it was to Bulba : by means 


TARAS BULBA, 


75 


of it, he had revenged himself on the former 
koschevoi. Moreover, Kirdyaga was his an- 
cient comrade, and had been with him on the 
same expeditions by sea and land, sharing the 
toils and hardships of war. The crowd imme- 
diately dispersed to celebrate the election, and 
such revelry ensued as Ostap and Andrii 
had not yet beheld. The pot-houses were 
attacked : mead, corn-brandy, and beer were 
seized without payment ; the owners were only 
glad to escape with whole skins themselves. 
The whole night passed amid shouts, songs, 
and rejoicings ; and the rising moon gazed long 
at troops of musicians traversing the streets 
with bandouras, flutes, round balalaikas, and 
the church choir, who were kept in the Setch 
to sing in church and glorify the deeds of the 
Zaporozhtzi. At length drunkenness and fa- 
tigue began to overpower their strong heads, 
and here and there a Cossack could be seen 
to fall upon the earth, embracing his comrade 
in fraternal fashion ; maudlin, and even weep- 


76 


TAJ^AS BULBA, 


ing, the latter rolled upon the earth with 
him. Here a whole group lay down in a 
heap ; there a man would choose the most 
comfortable position, and stretch out straight 
on a log of wood. The last, who was stronger, 
still uttered some incoherent speeches : finally 
even he yielded to the power of intoxication, 
flung himself down, and all in the Setch slept. 


TARAS BULBA, 


77 


IV. 

But next day Taras Bulba had a conference 
with the new koschevoi, as to the manner of 
exciting the Cossacks to some enterprise. The 
koschevoi was a shrewd and sensible Cossack, 
knew the Zaporozhtzi through and through, 
and said at first, “ Oaths cannot be violated by 
any means ; but after a pause he added, No 
matter, it can be done. We will not violate 
them, but let us devise something. Let the 
people assemble, not at my summons, but of 
their own accord. You know how to manage 
that ; and I will hasten to the square with the 
chiefs, as though we knew nothing about it.’* 

Not an hour had elapsed after their con- 
versation, when the drums thundered. The 
drunken and senseless Cossacks assembled. 
A million Cossack caps were sprinkled over 


78 


TARAS BULBA. 


the square. A murmur arose, ''Why.^ What.^ 
Why was the assembly beaten ? No one 
answered. At length, in one quarter and an- 
other, it began to be rumored about, Behold, 
the Cossack strength is being vainly wasted : 
there is no war ! Behold, our leaders have 
become as marmots, every one ; their eyes 
swim in fat! Plainly, there is no justice in 
the world 1 ” The other Cossacks listened at 
first, and then began to say themselves, ‘‘Ah, 
in truth, there is no justice in the world!'* 
Their leaders seemed surprised at these utter- 
ances. Finally the koschevoi stepped for- 
ward : “ Permit me, panove Cossacks, to ad- 
dress you." 

“ Do so ! " 

“Touching the matter in question, noble 
panove, none knows better than yourselves, 
that many Zaporozhtzi have run in debt to 
the Jews in the ale-houses and to their breth- 
ren, so that now they have not an atom of 
credit. Again, touching the matter in ques- 


TARAS BULBA, 


79 


tion, there are many young fellows who have 
no idea of what war is like, although you 
know, panove, that without war a young man 
cannot exist. How make a Zaporozhetz out 
of him if he has never killed a Mussul- 
man 

He speaks well,*' thought Bulba. 

‘‘Think not, however, panove, that I speak 
thus in order to disturb the peace : God forbid ! 
I merely mention it. Besides, it is a shame 
to say what sort of church we have for our 
God. Not only is the church without exterior 
decoration for all the years which by God*s 
mercy the Setch has stood, but up to this day 
even the images have no adornments ; no one 
has thought even of making them a silver 
frame : they have only received what some 
Cossacks have left them in their wills ; and 
the gifts were poor, because they had drunk 
up nearly all they had during their lifetime. 
I am making you this speech, therefore, not 
in order to stir up a war with the Mussulmans : 


8o 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


we have promised the Sultan peace, and it 
would be a great sin in us, for we swore it 
on our law/* 

“What is he mixing things up like that 
for?** said Bulba to himself. 

“So you see, panove, that war cannot be 
begun ; knightly honor does not permit it. 
But according to my poor opinion, this is what 
I think : let us send out a few young men in 
boats ; let them plunder the coasts of Anatolia 
a little. What do you think, panove ? ** 

“ Lead us, lead us all ! ** shouted the crowd 
on all sides. “ We are ready to lay down our 
heads for our faith.** 

The koschevoi was alarmed. He by no 
means wished to stir up all Zaporozhe : a 
breach of the peace appeared to him on this 
occasion improper. “ Permit me, panove, to 
address you further.** 

“ Enough ! ** yelled the Cossacks : “ you can 
say nothing better.** 

“ If it must be so, then let it be so. I am 


TARAS BULBA. 


8i 


the slave of your will. We know, and from 
Scripture too, that the voice of the people is 
the voice of God. It is impossible to devise 
any thing better than the whole nation has 
devised. But here is the difficulty : you know, 
panove, that the Sultan will not permit that 
which delights our young men to go unpun- 
ished. And we should be prepared at such a 
time, and our forces should be fr^sh, and then 
we should fear no one. But during their 
absence, the Tatars may collect new forces; 
the Turkish dogs do not exhibit themselves in 
sight, and they dare not come while the master 
is at home, but bite his heels from behind, 
and bite painfully too. And if I must tell 
you the truth, then we have not boats enough, 
nor powder ready in sufficient quantity, for all 
to go. But I am ready, if you please : I am 
the slave of your will.^^ 

The cunning ataman was silent. The vari- 
ous groups began to discuss the matter, and 
the atamans of the kurens to take counsel 


82 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


together : few were drunk, fortunately, so they 
decided to listen to reason. 

A number of men set out at once for the 
opposite shore of the Dniepr, to the treasury 
of the army, where in strict secrecy, , under 
water and among the reeds, lay concealed the 
army chest, and a portion of the arms cap- 
tured from the enemy. Others hastened to in- 
spect the boats, and prepare them for service. 
In a twinkling the whole shore was thronged 
with men. Carpenters appeared with axes in 
their hands. Old, weather-beaten, broad-shoul- 
dered, strong-legg“ed Zaporozhtzi, with black 
or silvered mustaches, rolled up their trousers, 
stood up to their knees in water, and dragged 
the boats from the shore with stout ropes ; 
others brought the seasoned lumber, and all 
sorts of wood. Then the boats were freshly 
planked, turned bottom upwards, calked and 
tarred ; then the boats were bound together 
side by side after Cossack fashion, with long 
strands of reeds, that the swell of the waves 


TARAS BULBA. 


33 


might not sink them. Far along the shores 
they built fires, and heated tar in copper ket- 
tles to smear the boats. The old and experi- 
enced instructed the young. The blows and 
shouts of the workers rose all about the neigh- 
borhood ; the living bank shook and moved 
about. 

About this time a large ferry-boat began to 
approach the shore. The mass of people 
standing in it began to wave their hands 
from a distance. They were Cossacks in torn, 
ragged svitkas. Their disordered garments 
(many wore nothing but their shirts, and a 
short pipe in their mouths) showed that they 
had escaped from some disaster, or had 
caroused to such an extent that they had 
drunk up all they had on their bodies. A 
short, broad-shouldered Cossack of about fifty 
stepped out from the midst of them, and stood 
in front. He shouted and waved his hand 
more vigorously than any of the others ; but 
his words could not be heard for the shouts 
and hammering of the workmen. 


84 


TARAS BULBA. 


‘‘ Whence come you ? asked the koschevoi, 
when the boat had touched the shore. All 
the workers paused in their labors, and, raising 
their axes and chisels, looked on expectantly. 

From a misfortune ! ** shouted the short 
Cossack. 

“From what 

“ Permit me, pandve Zaporozhtzi, to address 
you.” 

“Speak!” 

“Or would you prefer to assemble a coun- 
cil.?” 

“Speak, we are all here.” 

The people all pressed together in one mass. 

“And have you heard nothing of what has 
been going on in the hetman’s dominions .? ” 

“What is it.?” inquired one of the kuren 
atamans. 

“ Eh I what ! Evidently the Tatars have 
plastered up your ears, that you might hear 
nothing.” 

“Tell us: wTiat is going on there?” 


TAIRAS BULBA. 85 

‘‘That is going on, the like of which no'man 
born or christened ever yet has seen.” 

“ Tell us what it is, you son of a dog ! ” 
shouted one of the crowd, apparently losing 
patience. 

“Things have come to such a pass that our 
holy churches are no longer ours.” 

“How not ours.^” 

“They are pledged to the Jews. If the Jew 
is not first paid, there can be no mass.” 

“What are you saying.^” 

“And if the dog of a Jew does not make a 
sign with his unclean hand over the holy 
Easter-bread, it cannot be consecrated.” 

“ He lies, brother pani. It cannot be that 
an unclean Jew puts his mark upon the holy 
Easter-bread.” 

“ Listen ! I have not yet told all. Catholic 
priests are going about all over the Ukraine, 
in tarataikas. The harm lies not in the tara- 
taikas, but in the fact that not horses, but 
orthodox Christians, are harnessed to them. 


86 


TARAS BULBA, 


Listen ! I have not yet told all. They say that 
the Jewesses are making themselves petticoats 
of our popes* vestments. Such are the deeds 
which are taking place in the Ukraine, panove ! 
And you sit here revelling in Zaporozhe ; and 
evidently the Tatars have so scared you, that 
you have no eyes, no ears, no any thing, and 
you hear nothing that is going on in the 
world.** 

“ Stop, stop ! ** broke in the koschevoi, who 
up to that moment had stood with his eyes 
fixed upon the earth like all Zaporozhtzi, who 
on important occasions never yielded to their 
first impulse, but kept silence, and meanwhile 
collected in private all the power of their in- 
dignation. Stop ! I have also a word to say. 
But what were you doing ^ When your father 
the devil was raging thus, what were you doing 
yourselves } Had you no swords "i How did 
you come to permit such lawlessness ** 

‘‘ Eh ! how did we come to permit such law- 
lessness.^ You would have tried when there 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


87 


were fifty thousand of the Lyakhs ^ alone ; yes, 
and it is a shame not to be concealed, that 
there were also dogs among us, who have 
already accepted their faith/^ 

*'But your hetman and your, colonels, what 
did they do ? 

God preserve any one from such deeds as 
our colonels performed ! 

“ How so ? '' 

“ Our hetman, roasted in a brazen ox, now 
lies im. Warsaw; and the heads and hands of 
our colonels are being carried to all the fairs 
as a spectacle for the people. That is what 
our colonels did.’' 

The whole throng was excited. At first 
silence reigned all along the shore, like that 
which precedes a tempest ; and then suddenly 
voices were raised, and all the shore spoke : — 

‘‘What! The Jews hold the Christian 
churches in pledge ! Roman-Catholic priests 
have harnessed and beaten orthodox Chris- 


* Lyakhs, opprobrious name for the Poles. 


88 


TARAS BULBA, 


tians ! What ! such torture has been permit- 
ted on Russian soil to the cursed unbelievers ! 
And they have done such things to the colonels 
and the hetman? Nay, this shall not be, it 
shall not be.’' Such words flew from all quar- 
ters. The Zaporozhtzi were in an uproar, and 
saw their power. This was no excitement 
of a giddy-minded folk. All who were thus 
agitated were strong. Arm characters, which 
were not easily aroused, but, once aroused, 
preserved the inward heat long and obstinately. 
‘‘Hang all Jews!” rang through the crowd. 
“They shall not make petticoats for their 
Jewesses from popes’ vestments ! They shall 
not place their signs upon the holy wafers I 
Drown all the heathens in the Dniepr ! ” 
These words, uttered by some one in the 
throng, flashed like lightning through all 
minds, and the crowd flung themselves upon 
the suburb with the intention of cutting the 
throats of all Jews. 

The poor sons of Israel, losing all presence 


TARAS BULBA. 


89 


of mind, and not being in any case coura- 
geous, hid themselves in empty brandy-casks, 
in ovens, and even crawled under the skirts of 
their Jewesses ; but the Cossacks found them, 
wherever they were. 

^‘Gracious pani!'' shrieked one Jew, tall and 
thin as a stick, thrusting his sorry visage, dis- 
torted with terror, from among a group of his 
comrades, gracious pani ! suffer us to say a 
word, only one word. We will reveal to you 
what you never yet have heard, a thing more 
important than I can say, — very important ! 

Well, say it,” said Bulba, who always liked 
to hear what an accused man had to say. 

‘^Gracious pani!” exclaimed the Jew, ^^such 
pani were never seen, by heavens, never! Such 
good, kind, and brave men there never were 
in the world before ! ” His voice died away, 
and quivered with fear. How was it possible 
that we should think any evil of the Zoporozh- 
tzi Those men are not of us at all, those 
who have taken pledges in the Ukraine. By 


90 


TARAS BULBA, 


heavens, they are not of us! They are not 
Jews at all. The evil one only knows what 
they are ; they are only fit to be spit upon, 
and cast aside. Behold, they say the same ! 
Is it not true, Schloma.^ or you, Schmul?^* 

“ By heavens, it is true ! ” replied Schloma 
and Scbmul, from among the crowd, in their 
ragged caps, both pale as clay. 

‘‘We never yet,’' pursued the long Jew, 
“ have had any secret intercourse with your 
enemies, and Catholics we will have nothing 
to do with ; may the evil one fly away with 
them ! We are like own brothers to the 
Zaporozhtzi.’^ 

“ What ! the Zaporozhtzi are brothers to 
you!” exclaimed one from the crowd. “Don’t 
wait; cursed Jews! Into the Dniepr with 
them, panove ! Drown all the unbelievers ! ’* 
These words gave the signal. They seized 
the Jews by the arms, and began to hurl them 
into the waves. Pitiful cries resounded on all 
sides ; but the stern Zaporozhtzi only laughed 


TARAS BULBA. 


91 


when they saw the Jewish legs, incased in 
shoes and stockings, struggling in the air. 
The poor orator who had called down de- 
struction upon himself jumped out of his caf- 
tan, by which they had seized him, and in his 
parti -colored, scant under -waistcoat, clasped 
Bulba’s legs, and begged, in a piteous voice. 
Great lord ! gracious pan ! I knew your 
brother, the late Doroscha. He was a warrior 
who was an ornament to all knighthood. I 
gave him eight hundred sequins when he was 
obliged to ransom himself from the Turks.” 

^‘You knew my brother.^” asked Taras. 

By heavens, I knew him. He was a mag- 
nificent nobleman.” 

*^And what is your name?” 

^^Yankel.” 

Good,” said Taras ; and then, after reflect- 
ing, he turned to the Cossacks, and spoke as 
follows : ‘‘ There will always be plenty of time 
to hang the Jew, if it proves necessary; but 
for to-day give him to me.” 


92 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


So saying, Taras led him to his wagon, be- 
side which stood his Cossacks. Now crawl 
under the telega ; lie there, and do not move. 
— And do you, brothers, not surrender this 
Jew.’’ 

So saying, he returned to the square, for the 
whole crowd had long before collected there. 
All at once abandoned the shore, and the 
preparation of the boats; for a land-journey 
now awaited them, and not a sea-voyage, and 
they needed horses and telegas, and not ships 
and Cossack gulls. Now all, both young and 
old, wanted to go on the expedition ; and it 
was decided, with the advice of the chiefs, the 
atamans of the kurens, the koschevoi, and with 
the approbation of the whole Zaporozhtzian 
army, to march straight to Poland, to avenge 
all the injury and disgrace to the faith and to 
the Cossack renown, to seize booty from the 
cities, to burn villages and grain, and spread 
their glory far over the steppe. All immedi- 
ately girded and armed themselves. The kos- 


TARAS BULBA, 


93 


chevoi grew a whole arschin taller. He was no 
longer the timid executor of the giddy wishes 
of a free people : he was the untrammelled 
master. He was a despot, who understood 
only how to command. All the independent 
and pleasure-loving knights stood in an or- 
derly line, with respectfully bowed heads, not 
venturing to raise their eyes, when the kos- 
chevoi gave his orders; he gave them quietly, 
without shouting, without haste, but with 
pauses, like an old man deeply learned in 
Cossack affairs, and carrying into execution, 
not for the first time, a wisely matured enter- 
prise. 

Examine yourselves, look well to your- 
selves ; examine all your equipments thor- 
oughly,’' he said : ‘‘ put your teams and your 
tar-boxes in order; test your weapons. Take 
not many clothes with you : a shirt and a 
couple of pairs of trousers to each Cossack, 
and a pot of oatmeal and millet apiece, — 
let no one take any more. There will be 


94 


TARAS Bl/LBA, 


plenty of provisions, all that is needed, in the 
wagons. Let every Cossack have two horses. 
And two hundred yoke of oxen must be 
taken, for we shall require them at the fords 
and marshy places. Keep order, pan6ve, 
above all things. I know that there are 
some among you, whom God has made so 
greedy, that they would immediately tear up 
nankin and velvet for foot-cloths. Leave off 
such devilish habits ; fling aside every petti- 
coat, and take only weapons : if valuables 
offer themselves, ducats or silver, they are 
useful in any case. I tell you this before- 
hand, pandve, if any one gets drunk on the 
expedition, he will get short shrift : I will 
order him to be dragged by the neck like a 
dog, behind the transports, no matter who he 
may be, even were he the most heroic Cossack 
in the whole army ; he shall be shot on the 
spot like a dog, and flung out to be torn by 
the birds of prey, without sepulture, for a 
drunkard on the march deserves no Christian 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


95 


burial. Young men, obey the old men in all 
things ! If a ball grazes you, or a sword cuts 
your head or any other part, attach no im- 
portance to such trifles. Mix a charge of 
powder in a cup of brandy, quaff it heartily, 
and all will pass off — you will not even have 
any fever ; and if the wound is too large, put 
simple earth upon it, mixing it first with 
spittle in your palm, and it will dry up the 
wound. And how to work, to work, lads, and 
look well to all, and without haste.” 

So spoke the koschevoi ; and no sooner had 
he finished his speech, than all the Cossacks 
immediately set to work. All the Setch grew 
sober, and nowhere was a single drunken man 
to be found, as though there never had been 
such a thing among the Cossacks. Some 
attended to the tires of the wheels, others 
changed the axles of the telegas ; some car- 
ried sacks of provisions to the wagons, other 
wagons they loaded with arms; others still 
drove up the horses and oxen. On all sides 


96 


TARAS BULBA. 


resounded the tramp of horses’ hoofs, test- 
shots from the guns, the clang of swords, 
the lowing of oxen, the screech of turning 
wagons, talking, sharp cries and' urging -on 
of cattle. And soon the Cossack camp 
extended far over all the plain ; and he who 
should have undertaken to run from its head 
to its tail, would have had a long course. In 
the little wooden church, the priest was offer- 
ing up prayers, and sprinkling them all with 
holy water. All kissed the cross. When 
the camp broke up, and moved out of the 
Setch, all the Zaporozhtzi turned their heads 
back. ‘‘Farewell, our mother!” they said 
almost in one, breath. “May God preserve 
thee from all misfortune ! ” 

As he passed through the suburb, Taras 
Bulba saw that his Jew, Yankel, had already 
erected a sort of booth with an awning, and 
was selling flints, screw-drivers, powder, and 
all sorts of military stores needed on the 
road, even kalatchi ^ and bread. “ What devils 


^ A sort of roll 


TARAS BULBA, 


97 


those Jews are!’’ thought Taras; and riding 
up to him, he said, ‘^Fool, why are you sit- 
ting here ? do you want to be shot like a 
crow ? ” 

Yankel in reply approached nearer, and 
making a sign with both hands, as though 
wishing to impart some secret, said, “ Let 
the pan but keep silence, and say nothing to 
any one. Among the Cossack wagons, is a 
wagon of mine ; I am carrying all sorts of 
needful stores for the Cossacks, and on the 
journey I will furnish every sort of provisions 
at a lower price than any Jew ever sold before. 
’Tis so, by heavens I by heavens, ’tis sol” 

Taras Bulba shrugged his shoulders in 
amazement at the Jewish nature, and went 
on to the camp. 


98 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


V. 

All South-west Poland speedily became a 
prey to fear. Everywhere the rumor flew, 

The Zaporozhtzi ! the Zaporozhtzi have 
appeared ! ” All who could flee did so. All 
rose and scattered after the manner of that 
lawless, reckless age, when they built neither 
fortresses nor castles, but each man erected 
temporary dwellings of straw wherever it 
happened. He thought, It is useless to 
waste money and labor on an izba, when the 
roving Tatars will carry it off in any case.'’ 
All was in an uproar : one exchanged his 
plough and oxen for a horse and gun, and 
joined a regiment ; another hid, drove off his 
cattle, and carried off all he could. Occa- 
sionally, on the road, some were encountered 
who met their visitors with armed hands ; but 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


99 


more fled before their arrival. All knew that 
it was hard to deal with the raging and war- 
like throng known by the name of the Zapo- 
rozhian army ; which, under its independent 
and disorderly exterior, concealed an organ- 
ization well calculated for times of battle. 
The horsemen rode on without overburdening 
or heating their horses; the foot -soldiers 
marched soberly behind the wagons ; and the 
whole camp moved only by night, resting 
during the day, and selecting for this purpose 
the wilderness, uninhabited places, and the 
forests, of which there were then plenty. 
Spies were sent ahead, and scouts, to discover 
the where, what, and how. And they sud- 
denly appeared in those places where they 
were least expected : and then all yielded 
up their lives ; the villages were burned ; the 
horses and cattle which were not driven off 
behind the army were killed upon the spot. 
They seemed to be revelling, rather than 
carrying out an expedition. Our hair would 


lOO 


TAJ^AS BULBA. 


rise on end nowadays, at the horrible traits 
of that fierce, half-civilized age, which the 
Zaporozhtzi everywhere exhibited ; children 
killed, women’s breasts cut open, the skin 
flayed from the legs up to the knees, and the 
victim then set at liberty : in a word, the 
Cossacks paid their former debts in coin of 
full weight. The abbot of one monastery, on 
hearing of their approach, despatched two 
monks to say that they were not behaving 
as they should ; that there was an agreement 
between the Zaporozhtzi and the government ; 
that they were breaking faith with the king, 
and all international right. ‘‘Tell your bishop, 
from me and from all the Zaporozhtzi,” said the 
koschevoi, “that he has nothing to fear: the 
Cossacks, so far, have only lighted and smoked 
their pipes.” And the magnificent abbey 
was soon wrapped in the devouring flames, 
and its colossal Gothic windows gazed grimly 
through the waves of fire as they parted. The 
fleeing throng of monks, women, and Jews 


TARAS Bl/LBA, 


lOI 


suddenly thronged into those towns where 
there was any hope in the garrison and the 
city armament. The assistance sent in sea- ' 
son by the government, but delayed, consist- 
ing of a few regiments, either were unable 
to enter them, or, seized with fright, turned 
their backs at the very first encounter, and 
fled on their swift horses. It came to pass, 
that many of the royal commanders, who had 
conquered in former battles, resolved to unite 
their forces, and present their front to the 
Zaporozhtzi. 

And here, more than all, did our young Cos- 
sacks, disgusted with robbery, covetousness, and 
a weak enemy, and burning with the desire to 
distinguish themselves before the chiefs, en- 
deavor to measure themselves in single battle 
with the warlike and boastful Lyakhs, prancing 
on their spirited horses, with the sleeves of 
their jackets thrown back and streaming in 
the wind. This science was inspiriting : they 
won themselves many horse-trappings, valuable 


102 


TARAS BULBA. 


swords and guns. In one month the scarcely 
fledged birds reached their full growth, were 
completely transformed, and became men ; their 
features, in which hitherto a trace of youthful 
softness had been visible, grew strong and grim. 
But it was pleasant to old Taras, to see his 
sons among the first. It seemed as though 
Ostap were designed by nature for the pursuit 
of war and the difficult science of warlike 
matters. Never once losing his head or becom- 
ing confused under any circumstances, with a 
cool audacity almost supernatural in a youth of 
two and twenty, he could in an instant gauge 
the danger and the whole scope of the matter, 
could instantly devise a means of escaping it, 
but of escaping it only that he might the more 
surely conquer it. His movements now began 
to be distinguished by the assurance which 
comes from experience, and in them could be 
detected the bias of the future leader. His 
person breathed out strength, and his knightly 
qualities assumed the broad power of the lion. 


TARAS BULBA, 


103 


Oh, what a fine colonel he will make one of 
these days!'^ said old Taras. ‘‘He will make 
a splendid colonel, far surpassing even his 
father ! 

Andrii gave himself up wholly to the en- 
chanting music of bullets and swords. He 
knew not what it was to consider, or calculate, 
or measure his own and the enemy's strength. 
He gazed at a battle with mad delight and 
intoxication : he perceived something festal in 
the moments when a man's brain burns, when 
every thing waves and flutters before his eyes, 
heads fly off, horses fall to the earth with a 
sound of thunder, and he rides on like a drunk- 
en man, amid the whistling of bullets and the 
flashing of swords, dealing blows to all, and 
heeding not those dealt to him. More than 
once the father marvelled also at Andri'i, see- 
ing him, incited only by a flash of impulse, 
fling himself at something which a sensible 
man in cold blood never would have attempt- 
ed, and, by the sheer force of his mad attack, 


104 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


accomplish such wonders as could not but 
amaze men old in battle. Old Taras admired, 
and said, ‘‘And he too will be a good war- 
rior (if the enemy does not capture him). He 
is not Ostap, but he is a fine, a grand warrior, 
nevertheless.'' 

The army decided to march straight to the 
city of Dubno, where, so rumor said, there 
were many treasures and wealthy inhabitants. 
The journey was accomplished in a day and a 
half, and the Zaporozhtzi appeared before the 
city. The inhabitants resolved to defend them- 
selves to the utmost extent of their power, afid 
to extremities, and preferred to die in their 
squares and streets, before t^eir thresholds, 
rather than admit the enemy to their houses. 
A high earthen wall surrounded the city ; in 
places where the wall was lower, they placed 
stone walls, or a house which served as a bat- 
tery, or even an oaken stockade. The garrison 
was strong, and felt the importance of their 
position. The Zaporozhtzi attacked the wall 


TARAS BULBA, 


105 


fiercely, but were met by a shower of grape- 
shot. The citizens and residents of the town 
evidently did not wish to remain idle, and stood 
in a group upon the wall ; in their eyes could 
be read despairing resistance. The women also 
were determined to take part, and upon the 
heads of the Zaporozhians rained down stones, 
casks of boiling water, and sacks of pitch 
which blinded them. The Zaporozhtzi were 
not fond of having to do with fortified places : 
sieges were not in their line. The koschevoi 
ordered them to retreat, and said, It is use- 
less, brother pani ; we will retire : but may I 
be a heathen Tatar, and not a Christian, if 
we do not clear them out of that town! may 
they all perish of hunger,' the dogs I ” The 
army retreated, surrounded the town, and, for 
lack of something to do, busied themselves 
with devastating the surrounding country, 
burned the neighboring villages, the ricks of 
unthreshed grain, and turned their droves of 
horses loose in the fields, as yet untouched 


Io6 TARAS BULBA, 

by the reaping-hook, where the plump ears 
waved, as luck would have it, the fruit of an 
unusual harvest, liberally rewarding all tillers 
of the soil that season. 

With horror those in the city beheld their 
means of subsistence destroyed. And mean- 
while the Zaporozhtzi, having formed a double 
ring of their wagons around the city, disposed 
themselves as in the Setch in their kurens, 
smoked their pipes, bartered their booty for 
weapons, played at leapfrog, at odd-and-even, 
and gazed at the city with deadly cold-blooded- 
ness At night they lighted their camp-fires : 
the cooks boiled the porridge for each kuren, 
in huge copper kettles ; an unsleeping sentinel 
stood all night beside the blazing fire. But 
the Zaporozhtzi soon began to tire of in- 
activity and prolonged sobriety, unaccompanied 
by any action. The koschevoi even ordered 
the allowance of wine to be doubled, which 
was sometimes done in the army when no dif- 
ficult enterprises or movements were on hand. 


TARAS BULBA, 


107 


The young men, and Taras Bulba’s sons in 
particular, did not like this life. Andrii was 
visibly bored. ‘‘You silly head!” said Taras 
to him : “ be patient, Cossack, you will be 
ataman one day. And he is not a good 
warrior who loses his spirit in an important 
affair; but he is good who is not tired even 
of inactivity, who endures all, and who even if 
he likes a thing gives it up.” But hot youth 
cannot agree with age : the two have different 
natures, and they look at the same thing with 
different eyes. 

But in the mean time Taras’s regiment, 
led by Tovkatch, arrived ; with him were also 
two osauls, the secretary, and other regimental 
officers : the Cossacks numbered over four 
thousand in all. There were among them many 
volunteers, who had risen of their own free will, 
without, any summons, as soon as they heard 
what the matter was. The osauls brought to 
Taras’s sons the blessing of their aged mother, 
and to each a cypress image from the Mezhi- 


I 08 TARAS BULBA. 

gorski monastery at Kief. The two brothers 
hung the holy images round their necks, and 
involuntarily grew pensive as they remembered 
their old mother. What does this blessing 
prophesy and say to them ? Is it a blessing 
for their victory over the enemy, and then a 
joyous return to their home with booty and 
glory, to be everlastingly commemorated in 
the songs of bandoura-players ? or is it . . . } 
But the future is unknown, and stands before 
a man like autumnal fogs rising from the 
swamps : birds fly foolishly up and down in 
it with flapping wings, never recognizing each 
other, the dove seeing not the vulture, nor 
the vulture the dove, and no one knows how 
far he may be flying from his destruction. 

Ostap had long before attended to his 
duties, and gone to the kuren. Andrii, with- 
out knowing why, felt a sort of oppression in 
his heart. The Cossacks had finished their 
evening meal ; the evening had fully settled 
down, the wonderful July night ruled the air: 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


109 


but he did not go to the kuren, he did not 
lie down to sleep, and he gazed unconsciously 
at the whole scene before him. In the 
sky twinkled innumerable stars, with a thin, 
sharp gleam. The plain was covered far 
around by scattered wagons with swinging 
tar-buckets smeared with the tar, and loaded 
with every description of goods and provisions 
captured from the foe. Beside the telegas, 
under the telegas, and far beyond the telegas, 
Zaporozhtzi were everywhere visible, stretched 
out upon the grass. They all slumbered in 
picturesque attitudes : one had thrust a sack 
under his head, another his cap, still another 
simply made use of his comrade's side. Swords, 
guns, matchlocks, short pipe-stems with copper 
mountings, iron awls, and a flint and steel 
were inseparable from every Cossack. The 
heavy oxen lay with their feet doubled under 
them like huge whitish masses, and at a dis- 
tance looked like gray stones scattered on 
the slopes of the plain. On all sides the 


I lO 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


heavy snores of sleeping warriors began to 
arise from the grass, which were answered 
from the plain by the ringing neighs of their 
steeds, chafing at their hobbled feet. Mean- 
while a certain threatening magnificence had 
mingled with the beauty of the July night. 
It was the glare of the burning neighborhood 
afar. In one place the flames spread quietly 
and grandly over the sky ; in another meeting 
something on fire, and suddenly bursting into 
a whirlwind, they hissed and flew upwards to 
the very stars, and torn fragments died-away 
in the most distant quarter of the heavens. 
There the black, burned monastery like a 
grim Carthusian monk stood threatening, and 
displaying its dark magnificence at every flash ; 
there burned the monastery garden. It seemed 
as though the trees could be heard hissing, 
as they stood wrapped in smoke ; and when 
the fire sprang away, it suddenly lighted up 
with a phosphoric lilac-flame-colored gleam the 
ripe plums, or turned the yellowing pears here 


TARAS BULBA, 


III 


and there to pure gold ; and there in the 
midst of them hung black upon the wall of 
the building, or upon the trunk of a tree, the 
body of a poor Jew or monk who had per- 
ished in the flames with the building. Above 
the fires afar, hovered birds, appearing like a 
cluster of tiny black crosses upon a fiery field. 
The town thus laid bare seemed to sleep ; 
the spires and roofs, and its palisade and walls, 
flashed quietly in the glare of the distant con- 
flagrations. Andrii went the rounds of the 
Cossack ranks. The camp-fires, beside which 
the sentinels sat, were ready to go out at 
any moment ; and even the sentinels slept, 
having eaten oatmeal and dumplings with 
genuine Cossack appetites. He was astonished 
at such carelessness, thinking, ‘‘ It is well 
that there is no strong enemy, at hand, and 
no one to fear.” Finally he went to one of 
the wagons, climbed into it, and lay down 
upon his back, putting his clasped hands under 
his head ; but he could not sleep, and gazed 


II2 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


long at the sky. It was all open before him ; 
the air was pure and transparent ; the dense 
clusters of stars in the Milky Way, traversing 
the sky in a belt, were flooded with light. 
From time to time Andrfi in a degree forgot 
himself, and a light mist of dream veiled the 
heavens from him for a moment ; and then he 
awoke, and they became visible again. 

At one of these intervals it seemed to him 
that some strange human figure flitted before 
him'. Thinking it to be merely a dream 
apparition which would vanish at once, he 
opened his eyes, and beheld a withered, 
emaciated face bending over him, and gazing 
straight in his eyes. The long, coal-black 
hair, uncoiffed, disordered, fell from beneath 
a dark veil which had been thrown over the 
head ; and the strange gleam of the eyes, and 
the death-like brown tone of the face, bringing 
out the sharp-cut features, inclined him to 
think that it was an apparition. His hand 
involuntarily grasped his gun ; and he ex- 


TARAS BULBA, 


II3 


claimed almost convulsively, Who are you ? 
If you are an evil spirit, out of my sight ! 
If you are a living being, you have chosen an 
ill time for your jest : I will kill you with 
one shot/^ 

In answer to this, the apparition laid its 
finger upon its lips, and seemed to entreat 
silence. He dropped his hand, and began to 
look more attentively. He recognized her to 
be a woman from the long hair, the brown 
neck, and half-concealed bosom. But she was 
not a native of those regions : her wide cheek- 
bones stood out prominently over the hollow 
cheeks ; her narrow eyes rose in an arch. 
The more he gazed at her features, the more 
he found in them that was familiar. Finally 
he could restrain himself no longer, and said. 
Tell me, who are you t It seems to me that 
I know you, or have seen you somewhere.’^ 
‘‘Two years ago, in Kief.’' ^ 

“Two years ago, in Kief ! ” repeated Andrii, 
endeavoring to collect in his mind all that 


TARAS BULBA, 


II4 

lingered in his memory of his former student 
life. He looked intently at her once more, 
and suddenly exclaimed at the top of his voice, 
‘‘You are the Tatar I the servant of the 
pannochka, the Voevod’s daughter!’^ 

“ Sh ! ” cried the Tatar, clasping her hands 
with a supplicating glance, trembling all over, 
and turning her. head round in order to see 
whether any one had been waked up by 
Andrh’s loud exclamation. 

“Tell me, tell me, why are you here.^’* 
said Andrii, almost panting, in a whisper, 
interrupted every moment by inward emotion. 
“ Where is the pannochka } is she alive ? '' 

“She is now in the city.’' 

“ In the city ! ” he exclaimed, again almost 
in a shriek, and felt that all the blood sud- 
denly flew to his heart. “Why is she in the 
city } ” 

“ Because the old pan himself is in the city : 
he has been Voevod of Dubno for the last 
year and a half.” 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


IIS 


Is she married ? How strange you are ! 
Tell me about her/’ 

She has eaten nothing for two days.” 

‘^What!” 

‘^And not . one of the inhabitants has had 
a morsel of bread for a long while ; all have 
long been eating earth.” 

Andrii was astounded. 

‘‘The pannochka saw you from the city wall, 
among the Zaporozhti. She said to me, ‘Go 
tell the knight : if he remembers me, let him 
come to me; and do not forget to make him 
give you a bit of bread for my aged mother, 
for I do not wish to see my mother die before 
my very eyes. Better that I should die first, 
and she afterwards ! Beseech him ; clasp his 
knees, his feet : he also has an aged mother, 
let him give you the bread for her sake ! ’ ” 

Many feelings awoke and flamed up in the 
young Cossack’s breast. 

“ But how came you here ? how did you 
get here V 


ii6 


TARAS BULBA. 


an underground passage.” 

‘‘ Is there an underground passage ? ” 
‘‘Yes.” 

“Where.?” 

“You will not betray it, knight.?” 

“ I swear it by the holy cross ! ” 

“You descend into a hole, and cross the 
brook, yonder among the reeds.” 

“And it leads into the city.?” 

“Straight into the monastery.” 

“ Let us go, let us go at once ! ” 

“ A bit of bread, in the name of Christ and 
of His holy mother ! ” 

“Good, so be it. Stand here beside the 
wagon, or, better still, lie down in it : no one 
will see you, all are asleep. I will return at 
once.” 

And he set off for the transports, which 
contained the provisions belonging to their 
kuren. His heart beat. All the past, all that 
had been extinguished by the Cossack biv- 
ouacks, by the stern battle of life, all flamed 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


II7 

out at once on the surface, and drowned the 
present, in its turn. Again, as from the dark 
depths of the sea, the proud woman rose before 
him : again there gleamed in his memory her 
beautiful arms, her eyes, her laughing mouth, 
her thick dark -chestnut hair, falling in curls 
upon her shoulders, and the elastic, well-knit 
members of her maiden form. No, they had 
not been extinguished in his breast ; they had 
not vanished : they had simply been laid aside, 
in order, for a time, to make way for other 
strong emotions ; but often, very often, the 
young Cossack’s deep slumber had been trou- 
bled by them, and often, waking, he lay 
sleepless on his couch, without being able to 
explain the cause. 

He went ; but his heart beat more violently 
at the thought of seeing her again, and his 
young knees shook. On arriving at the trans- 
port, he had utterly forgotten why he had 
come ; he raised his hand to his brow, and 
rubbed it long, trying to recollect what he 


Ii8 


TARAS BULBA. 


was to do. At length he trembled, and was 
filled with terror : the thought suddenly oc- 
curred to him, that she was dying of hunger. 
He flung himself upon the wagon, and seized 
several large loaves of black bread ; but then 
he thought, Is not this food, suited to a ro- 
bust and easily satisfied Zaporozhetz, coarse 
and unfit for her delicate frame } Then he 
recollected that the koschevoi, on the previous 
evening, had reproved the cooks for having 
cooked up all the oatmeal into porridge at 
once, when there was plenty for three times. 
In the full assurance that he would find 
plenty of porridge in the kettles, he drew 
out his father's travelling kettle, and went 
with it to the cook of their kuren, who was 
sleeping beside two big kettles, which held 
about ten pailfuls, under which the ashes 
still glowed. Glancing into them, he was 
amazed to find them empty. It must have 
required supernatural powers to eat it all ; 
the more so, as their kur^n numbered fewer 


TARAS BULBA, 


II9 

than the others. He looked into the kettles 
of the other kurens, — nothing anywhere. 
Involuntarily the saying recurred, to his mind, 
The Zaporozhtzi are like children : if there 
is little they eat it, if there is much they 
leave nothing.” What was to be done ? 
There was, somewhere in the wagon belong- 
ing to his father’s regiment, a sack of white 
bread, which they had found when they 
robbed the bakery of the monastery. He 
went straight to his father’s wagon, but it 
was not there. Ostap had taken it, and put 
it under his head ; and there he lay, stretched 
out on the earth, snoring so that the whole 
plain rang again. Andrii seized the sack 
abruptly with one hand, and gave it a jerk, 
so that Ostap’s head fell to the ground, and 
the latter sprang up in his sleep, and, sitting 
there with closed eyes, shouted at the top 
of his lungs, Stop them ! Stop the cursed 
Lyakhs! Catch the horses! catch the horses !” 
— “ Silence I I’ll kill you,” shouted Andrfi 


120 


TAJ^AS BULBA. 


in terror, flourishing the sack over him. But 
Ostap did not continue his speech, quieted 
down, and emitted such a snore that the 
grass on which he lay waved with his 
breath. 

Andn'i glanced timidly on all sides to see 
if Ostap's dream-raving had waked any of 
the Cossacks. One long-locked head only 
was raised in the adjoining kuren, glanced 
about, and then dropped back on the ground. 
After waiting a couple of minutes he set out 
with his load. The Tatar woman lay there, 
scarcely breathing. ‘‘Rise, come. Fear not, 
all are sleeping. Can you take one of these 
loaves if I cannot carry all 1 " So saying, he 
flung the sacks on his back, pulled out another 
sack of millet as he passed the wagon, took in 
his hands the loaves he had wanted to give 
the Tatar woman to carry, and, bending some- 
what under the load, went boldly through the 
ranks of sleeping Zaporozhtzi. 

“Andn'i," said old Bulba, as he passed. His 


TARAS BULBA, 


121 


heart died within him. He halted, trembling, 
and said softly, ^‘What is it V 

‘^There's a woman with you. When I get 
up ril give you a sound thrashing. Women 
will lead you to no good.'* So saying, he 
leaned his head upon his hand, and gazed 
intently at the muffled form of the Tatar. 

Andn'i stood there, more dead than alive, 
not daring to look in his father's face. And 
when he did raise his eyes, and glance at him, 
old Bulba was asleep, with his head resting 
in the palm of his hand. 

He crossed himself. Fear fled from his 
heart even more rapidly than it had attacked 
it. When he turned to look at the Tatar 
woman, she stood before him like a dark gran- 
ite statue, all muffled in her wrap ; and the 
gleam of the distant dawn lighted up only 
her eyes, dull as the eyes of a corpse. He 
plucked her by the sleeve, and both went on 
together, glancing back incessantly; and at 
length they descended the slope of the small 


122 


TARAS BULBA. 


ravine, almost a hole, at the bottom of which 
a brook flowed lazily, overgrown with sedge, 
and strewed with mossy hummocks. Descend- 
ing into this ravine, they were completely 
concealed from the view of all the plain occu- 
pied by the Zaporovian camp. At least An- 
drfi, glancing back, saw that the steep slope 
rose behind him higher than a man. On its 
crest appeared a few blades of steppe-grass ; 
and behind them, in the sky, hung the 
moon, like a reaping-hook of pure gold. The 
breeze rising on the steppe warned them 
that the dawn was not far off. But nowhere 
was the crow of the cock audible. Neither in 
the city nor in the devastated neighborhood 
had there been a cock for a long time past. 
They crossed the brook on a small plank, 
beyond which rose the opposite bank, which 
appeared higher than the one behind them, 
and projected quite steeply. It seemed as 
though this were the strong point of the cit- 


TARAS BULBA, 


123 


adel, upon which they could rely ; at all events, 
the earthen wall was lower there, and no 
garrison appeared behind it. But farther on 
rose the thick monastery walls. The precip- 
itous bank was all overgrown with steppe- 
grass, and in the narrow ravine between it 
and the brook grew tall reeds almost as high 
as a man. At the summit of the crevice were 
visible the remains of a wattled fence, which 
had formerly surrounded some garden ; in front 
of it, the wide leaves of the burdock, from 
among which rose orache and black-thorn, and 
sunflowers lifting their heads high above all 
the rest. Here the Tatar flung off her slip- 
pers, and went barefoot, gathering her clothes 
up carefully, for the spot was marshy, and 
full of water. Forcing their way among the 
reeds, they stopped before a ruined outwork. 
Skirting this outwork, they found a sort of 
earthen arch, — an opening not much larger 
than the opening of an oven. The Tatar 


124 


TARAS BULBA, 


woman bent her head, and went first Andrfi 
followed, bending as low as he could, in order 
to pass with his sacks ; and both soon found 
themselves in total darkness. 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


125 


VI. 

Andrii could hardly move in the dark and 
narrow earthen corridor, as he followed the 
Tatar, dragging after him his sacks of bread. 
‘‘ It will soon be light,*' said his guide : ‘‘ we are 
approaching the spot where I placed a light." 
And in fact the dark earthen walls began to 
be gradually illuminated. They reached a 
little widening where, it seemed, there had 
been a chapel ; at least, there was a small 
table against the wall, like an altar, and above 
it was visible the faded, almost entirely obliter- 
ated picture of a Catholic Madonna. A small 
silver lamp hanging before it barely lighted it. 
The Tatar stooped, and picked up from the 
earth a copper candlestick which she had left 
there, with a tall, slender foot, and snuffers, 


126 


TARAS BULBA, 


pin, and extinguisher hanging about it on 
chains. She lighted it at the silver lamp. 
The light grew stronger; and as they went 
on, now illumined by it, and again enveloped 
in pitchy shadow, they suggested a picture of 
Gerard Dow. 

The knight’s fresh, handsome countenance, 
overflowing with health and youth, presented 
a strong contrast to the pale, emaciated face 
of his companion. The passage grew a little 
higher, so that Andn'i could straighten himself 
up. He gazed with curiosity at the earthen 
walls. Here, as in the catacombs at Kief, 
were visible niches in the walls ; and in some 
places coffins were standing. Sometimes they 
came across human bones which had become 
softened with the dampness, and were crum- 
bling into dust. It was evident that pious 
people had taken refuge here from the storms, 
sorrows, and seductions of the world. It was 
extremely damp in some places ; under their 
feet it was all water at times. Andrii was 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


127 


forced to halt frequently to allow his com- 
panion to rest, for her fatigue increased con- 
stantly. The small piece of bread she had 
swallowed only caused a pain in her stomach, 
which was unused to food ; and she often stood 
motionless for minutes together in one spot. 

At length a small iron door appeared before 
them. ^‘Now glory be to God, we have ar- 
rived ! said the Tatar in a faint voice, and 
tried to lift her hand to knock; but she had 
no power. Andrii knocked hard at the door, 
in her stead. There was an echo as though 
a large space were beyond the door ; then the 
echo changed, as if encountering lofty arches. 
In a couple of minutes, keys rattled, and some 
one seemed to be descending some stairs. At 
last the door opened : a monk, standing on the 
narrow stairs with the key and a light in his 
hands, admitted them. Andn'i involuntarily 
halted at the sight of a Catholic monk, — 
one of those who had aroused such hate and 
disdain among the Cossacks, who had treated 


128 


TARAS B C/LB A. 


them even more inhumanly than they had 
treated the Jews. 

The monk, on his side, started back on 
perceiving a Zaporovian Cossack ; but an in- 
audible word uttered by the Tatar re-assured 
him. He lighted them, fastened the door 
behind them, and led them up the stairs ; 
and they found themselves beneath the dark 
and lofty arches of the monastery church. 
Before one of the altars, adorned with tall 
candlesticks and candles, knelt a priest pray- 
ing quietly. Near him on each side, knelt two 
young choristers in lilac mantles, with white 
lace surplices, and with censers in their hands. 
He prayed for the performance of a miracle, 
that the city might be saved ; that their souls 
might be strengthened ; that patience might 
be given them ; that the tempter, whispering 
complaint, and timid, weak-spirited mourning 
over earthly misfortunes, might be banished. 
A few women, resembling shadows, knelt sup- 
porting themselves against the backs of the 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


129 


chairs and dark wooden benches before them, 
and laying their exhausted heads upon them. 
A few men knelt sadly, leaning against the col- 
umns upon which the wide arches rested. The 
stained-glass window above the altar glowed 
with the rosy light of dawn ; and from it, on 
the floor, fell circles of blue, yellow, and other 
colors, suddenly illuminating the dim church. 
The whole altar, to its farthest depths, was 
suddenly lighted up ; the smoke from the cen- 
sers hung a cloudy rainbow in the air. Andrii 
gazed from his dark corner, not without sur- 
prise, at the wonders worked by the light. 
At that moment the magnificent swell of the 
organ suddenly filled the whole church ; it 
grew deeper and deeper, expanded, passed into 
heavy bursts of thunder ; and then all at 
once, turning into heavenly music, its singing 
tones floated high among the arches, like clear 
maiden voices, and again descended into a deep 
roar and thunder, and then ceased, and the 
thunderous pulsations echoed long and trem- 


130 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


blingly among the arches ; and Andri'i, with 
half-open mouth, admired the wondrous music. 

Then he felt some one plucking the skirt 
of his caftan. ‘‘It is time,” said the Tatar. 
They traversed the church unperceived, and 
emerged upon the square in front. The dawn 
had long flushed the heavens ; all announced 
the sunrise. The quadrangular square was 
entirely empty: in the middle of it still stood 
wooden pillars, showing that, perhaps only a 
week before, there had existed a market here 
with provisions. The streets, which were 
unpaved, were simply a mass of dried mud. 
The square was surrounded by a row of small, 
one-storied stone or mud houses, on whose 
walls were visible wooden stakes and posts to 
their full height, obliquely crossed by carved 
wooden beams, as was the manner of building 
in those days, and specimens of which can 
still be seen in some parts of Lithuania and 
Poland. They were all covered with enor- 
mously high roofs, with a multitude of win- 


TABAS BULBA. 


I3i 

dows and air-holes. On one side, quite near 
the church, and taller than the others, rose 
a building quite detached from the rest ; 
probably the town-hall or some government 
office. It was two stories high, and above it, 
in two arches, was built a belvidere where a 
watchman stood ; a huge clock-face was let 
into the roof. 

The square seemed dead, but Andn'i thought 
he heard a feeble groan. Looking about him, 
he perceived, on the farther side, a group of 
two or three men lying nearly motionless upon 
the earth. He fastened his eyes more intently 
on them, to see whether they were asleep or 
dead; and, at the same moment, stumbled 
over something lying at his feet. It was the 
dead body of a woman, apparently a Jewess. 
She appeared to be young, though this was 
not discernible in her distorted and emaci- 
ated features. Upon her head was a red silk 
kerchief ; two rows of pearls or pearl beads 
adorned the ear-pieces of her headdress ; from 


132 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


beneath it, two long curls hung down upon 
her withered neck, with its tightly drawn 
veins. Beside her lay a child, grasping con- 
vulsively at her withered breast, and squeezing 
it with involuntary ferocity, finding no milk 
there. He neither wept nor screamed, and 
only his gently rising and falling body would 
lead one to think that he was not dead, or 
at least on the point of breathing his last. 
They turned into a street, and were suddenly 
stopped by a madman, who, catching sight 
of Andrii's precious burden, sprang upon 
him like a tiger, and clutched him, yelling, 
** Bread But his strength was not equal 
to his madness. Andrfi repulsed him : he fell 
to the ground. Moved with pity, Andrii flung 
him a loaf, which he seized like a mad dog ; 
he gnawed and bit it ; and, there in the 
street, he expired in horrible suffering, from 
long disuse of eating. The terrible victims 
of hunger startled them at every step. Many 
seemed to run into the streets, apparently un- 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


133 


able to endure their torments in their houses, 
to see whether some nourishing power might 
possibly descend from the air. At the gate 
of one house sat an old woman, and it was 
impossible to say whether she was asleep or 
dead, or only unconscious ; at all events, she 
no longer saw or heard any thing, and sat im- 
movable in one spot, her head drooping on 
her breast. From the roof of another house 
hung a strained and withered body in a rope 
noose. The poor fellow could not endure 
the tortures of hunger to the last, and pre- 
ferred to hasten his end by a voluntary 
death. 

At the sight of such terrible proof of fam- 
ine, Andrfi could not refrain from asking the 
Tatar, ^'Was there really nothing with which 
they could prolong life } If a man is driven 
to extremities, then there is nothing to be 
done : he must nourish himself on what he 
has hitherto despised ; he can sustain himself 
with creatures which are forbidden by the law. 


134 


TARAS BULBA. 


Any thing can be eaten under such circum- 
stances.” 

“They have eaten every thing,” said the 
Tatar, — “all the animals. Not a horse nor a 
dog nor even a mouse, can be found in the 
whole city. We never had any provisions in 
the town : they were all brought from the 
villages.” 

“ But how can you, while dying such a 
fearful death, still dream of defending the 
city .? ” 

“ Possibly the Voevod might have surren- 
dered : but yesterday morning the colonel in 
Buzhana sent a hawk into the city with a 
note saying that it was not to be given up ; 
that he was coming to its rescue with his regi- 
ment, and was only waiting for another colonel, 
that they might march together. And now 
they are expected every moment. But we 
have reached the house.” 

Andrh had already seen from afar the 
house, unlike the others, and built apparently 


TARAS BULBA. 


I3S 


by some Italian architect : it was constructed 
of thin red bricks, and had two stories. The 
windows of the lower story were sheltered 
under lofty, projecting granite cornices : the 
upper story consisted entirely of small arches, 
forming a gallery ; between them, gratings 
with coats-of-arms were visible ; upon the cor- 
ners of the house there were more coats-of- 
arms. The wide external staircase, of tinted 
bricks, abutted on the square. At the foot of 
the staircase sat guards, who with one hand 
held the halberd, standing beside them in a 
picturesque and symmetrical manner, and with 
the other supported their drooping heads, and 
in this attitude more resembled apparitions 
than living beings. They neither slept nor 
dreamed, but seemed quite insensible to every 
thing ; they even paid no attention to who 
went up the stairs. At the head of the stairs, 
they found a richly dressed warrior, armed 
cap-a-pie, holding a breviary in his hand. He 
turned his dim eyes upon them ; but the Tatar 


136 


TARAS BULBA. 


spoke a word to him, and he dropped them 
again upon the open pages of his breviary. 
They entered the first chamber, quite a large 
one, serving as a reception-room, or simply as 
an ante-room ; it was filled with soldiers, serv- 
ants, secretaries, huntsmen, cup-bearers, and the 
other servitors indispensable to the support of 
a Polish magnate’s state, all seated along the 
walls. The reek of extinguished candles was 
perceptible ; two still burned in two huge 
candlesticks, nearly as tall as a man, standing 
in the middle of the room, although morning 
had long before peeped through the wide 
grated window. Andn'i wanted to go straight 
to the large oaken door adorned with a coat- 
of-arms and a profusion of carved ornaments ; 
but the Tatar pulled his sleeve, and pointed to 
a small door in the side wall. Through this 
they entered a corridor, and then a room, 
which he began to examine attentively. The 
light which sifted through a crack in the shut- 
ters fell upon some objects, — a crimson cur- 


TARAS BULBA, 


137 


tain, a gilded cornice, and a painting on the 
wall. Here the Tatar motioned to Andri'i to 
wait, and opened the door into another room 
from which flashed the light of a fire. He 
heard a whispering, and a soft voice which 
made him quiver all over. Through the open 
door he beheld flit rapidly past, a tall female 
figure, with a long thick braid of hair falling 
over her uplifted hands. The Tatar returned, 
and told him to enter. 

He could never understand how he entered, 
and how the door was shut behind him. Two 
candles burned in the room, and a lamp glowed 
before the images : beneath it stood a tall table 
with steps to kneel upon during prayer, after 
the Catholic fashion. But not this did his 
eye seek. He turned to the other side, and 
perceived a woman, who seemed to have frozen 
or turned to stone in the midst of some quick 
movement. It seemed as though her whole 
form had sought to spring towards him, and 
had suddenly paused. And he stood in like 


138 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


manner amazed before her. Not thus had he 
pictured to himself that he should see her. 
This was not the same person he had formerly 
known ; nothing about her resembled that per- 
son : but she was twice as beautiful, twice as 
wonderful, now as she had been then. Then 
there had been something unfinished, incom- 
plete, about her : now it was a production to 
which the artist had given the finishing stroke 
of his brush. That was a charming giddy girl : 
this was a beauty, a woman in the full develop- 
ment of her charms. As she raised her eyes, 
they were full of feeling, not of bits and hints 
of feeling. The tears were not yet dry in them, 
and framed them in a shining dew, which pen- 
etrated the very soul. Her bosom, neck, and 
arms were moulded in the proportions which 
mark fully developed loveliness. Her hair, 
which had in former days waved in light ring- 
lets about her face, had become a heavy, lux- 
uriant mass, a part of which was caught up, 
while part fell in long, slender curls upon her 


TARAS BCrLBA, 


139 


arms and breast. It seemed as though her 
every feature had changed. In vain did he 
try to discover in them a single one of those 
which were engraved in his memory, — even 
one. Even her great pallor did not lessen her 
wonderful beauty : on the contrary, it conferred 
upon it an irresistible, inexpressible charm. 
And Andrh felt in all his soul a noble timid- 
ity, and stood motionless before her. She, too, 
seemed surprised at the appearance of the Cos- 
sack, as he stood before her in all his beauty 
and the might of his young manhood, and in 
the very immovability of his limbs personified 
the utmost freedom of movement. His eyes 
beamed with clear decision ; his velvet brows 
bent in a bold arch ; his sunburnt cheeks 
glowed with all the ardor of youthful fire ; and 
his downy black mustache shone like silk. 

‘*No, I have no power to thank you, noble 
knight,” she said, her silvery voice all in a 
tremble. “ God alone can reward you : not I, 
a weak woman.” She dropped her eyes; her 


140 


TARAS BULBA, 


lids fell over them in beautiful, snowy semi- 
circles, guarded by lashes long as arrows ; all 
her wondrous face bowed forward, and a deli- 
cate flush overspread it from below. Andrii 
knew not what to say : he wanted to say 
every thing. He had in his mind, to say it 
all ardently, as it glowed in his heart, — and 
could not. He felt something confining his 
mouth ; voice and words were gone ; he felt 
that it was not for him, bred in the seminary 
and in the tumult of a roaming life, to reply 
fitly to such language, and was angry with 
his Cossack nature. 

At that moment the Tatar entered the room. 
She had cut up the bread which the knight 
had brought, into small pieces, brought it in 
on a golden plate, and placed it before her 
mistress. The beauty glanced at her, at the 
bread, at her, and turned her eyes to Andrii ; 
and there was a great deal in those eyes. 
That gentle glance, expressive of her weakness 
and her inability to give words to the feeling 


TARAS BULBA, 


14I 

which overpowered her, was far more com- 
prehensible to Andrh than any words. His 
soul suddenly became light : all within him 
seemed made smooth. The mental emotions 
and the feelings which up to that moment - 
he had restrained with a heavy curb, as it 
were, now felt themselves released, at liberty, 
and anxious to pour themselves out in a resist- 
less torrent of words. Suddenly the beauty ' 
turned to the Tatar, and asked anxiously, 

“ But my mother ? you took her some ? 

‘‘She is asleep.*’ 

“And my father.?” 

“ I carried him some : he said that he would 
come to thank the knight in person.” 

She took the bread, and raised it to her 
mouth. With inexpressible delight, Andrfi 
watched her break it with her shining fingers, 
and eat it ; and all at once he recalled the 
man, mad with hunger, who had expired 
before his eyes, on swallowing a morsel of 
bread. He turned pale, and, seizing her hand, 


142 


TAJ^AS BULBA. 


screamed, ‘‘ Enough ! eat no more ! you have 
not eaten for so long, that bread will poison 
you, now/* And she immediately dropped 
her hand ; she laid the bread upon the plate, 
and gazed into his eyes like a submissive 
child. And if any words could express — 
But neither chisel, nor brush, nor mighty 
speech is capable of expressing what is some- 
times seen in glances of maidens, nor the 
tender feeling which takes possession of him 
who sees such maiden glances. 

“ Tzaritza ! ** exclaimed Andrii, heart, soul, 
all, full of emotion : “ what do you need } 
what do you wish } command me ! Impose on 
me the most impossible task in all the world : 
I fly to fulfil it ! Tell me to do that which 
it is beyond the power of man to do : I will 
fulfil it if I ruin myself. I will ruin myself. 
And I swear by the holy cross, that ruin for 
your sake is so sweet — but no, it is impos- 
sible to say how sweet ! I have three farms ; 
half my father’s droves of horses are mine; 


TARAS BULBA. 


143 


all that my mother brought my father, and 
which she still conceals from him, — all this 
is mine ! Not one of the Cossacks owns 
such weapons as I : for the pommel of my 
sword alone, they would give their best drove 
of horses and three thousand sheep. . And I 
renounce all this, I discard it, I throw it aside, 
I burn, I drown it, if you will but say the 
word, or even move your delicate black brows ! 
But I know that I am perchance talking 
foolishly, and wide of the mark; that all this 
is not fitting here ; that it is not for me, who 
have passed my life in the seminary and 
among the Zaporozhtzi, to speak as they 
speak where kings, princes, and all the best 
of noble knighthood, have been. I perceive 
that you are a different being from the rest 
of us, and far above all other boyars* wives 
and maiden daughters.** 

With growing amazement the maiden lis- 
tened, all ear, losing no single word, to the 
frank, sincere language in which, as in a mir- 


144 


TARAS BULBA. 


ror, the young, strong spirit reflected itself; 
and each simple word of this speech, uttered 
in a voice which flew straight to the depths 
of the heart, was clothed in power. And she 
reached forward her beautiful face, pushed 
back her troublesome hair, opened her mouth, 
and gazed long, with parted lips. Then she 
tried to say something, and suddenly stopped, 
and remembered that the knight was known 
by a different name ; that his father, brothers, 
country, lay beyond, grim avengers ; that the 
Zaporozhtzi besieging the city were terrible, 
and a cruel death awaited all who were in 
the city, and her eyes suddenly filled with 
tears. She seized a silk embroidered handker- 
chief, and threw it over her face, and in a 
moment it was all wet ; and she sat long with 
her beautiful head thrown back, her snowy 
teeth set on her lovely under-lip, as though 
she suddenly felt the sting of a poisonous 
serpent, and without removing the handker- 
chief from her face, lest he should see her 
broken with grief. 


TARAS BULBA, 


145 


‘‘ Say one word to me,’' said Andrfi, and 
took her satin hand. A sparkling fire coursed 
through his veins at the touch, and he pressed 
the hand lying motionless in his. 

But she kept silence, never taking the ker- 
chief from her face, and remained motionless. 

‘'Why are you so sad.? Tell me, why are 
you so sad .? ” 

She cast away the handkerchief, pushed 
aside her long hair which fell over her eyes, 
and poured out her heart in sad speech, in a 
quiet voice, like the breeze which, rising on 
a beautiful evening, blows through the thick 
growth of reeds beside the stream ; they rus- 
tle, murmur, and emit delicately sad sounds, 
and the traveller, pausing in inexplicable sad- 
ness, hears them, heeding not the fading light, 
nor the gay songs of the people which float 
by as they stray from their labors in meadow 
and stubble-field, nor the distant thud of the 
passing telega. 

“ Am not I worthy of eternal pity .? Is not 


146 


TARAS BULBA. 


the mother that bore me unhappy ? Is it 
not a bitter lot which has fallen to me ? Art 
not thou a cruel executioner, my grim fate? 
Thou hast brought all to my feet, — the high- 
est nobles in the land, the richest gentlemen, 
counts, foreign barons, all the flower of our 
knighthood. All loved me freely, and any 
one of them would have counted my love a 
great blessing. I had but to wave my hand, 
and the best of them, the handsomest, the 
very first in beauty and birth, would have 
become my husband. And to none of them 
didst thou incline my heart, O my bitter 
fate ! but thou didst turn my heart against 
the noblest heroes of our land, and towards a 
stranger, towards our enemy. Why, O most 
holy mother of God ! for what sin, dost thou 
so pitilessly, mercilessly, persecute me ? In 
abundance and superfluity of luxury my days 
were passed ; the richest dishes and the sweet- 
est wine were my food. And to what end 
was it all? What was it all for? In order 


TARAS BULBA, 


147 


that I might at last die a cruel death, more 
cruel than the death of the meanest beggar 
in the kingdom ? And it was not enough, 
that I was condemned to so horrible a fate; 
not enough, that before my own end I should 
behold my father and mother perish in intol- 
erable torment, when I would have willingly 
given my own life twenty times over to save 
them ; all this was not enough : before my 
own death I must hear words and love such 
as I had never before dreamed of. It was 
necessary that he should break my heart 
with his utterances ; that my bitter lot should 
be rendered still more bitter ; that my young 
life should be made yet more sad ; that my 
death should seem even more terrible ; and 
that, dying, I should reproach thee still 
more, O cruel fate ! and thee, — forgive my 
sin, — O holy mother of God ! '' 

And when she ceased in despair, feeling 
was expressed in her face ; every feature spoke 
of gnawing sorrow ; and all, from the sadly 


148 


TARAS BULBA. 


bowed brow and downcast eyes, to the tears 
trickling down and drying away on her softly 
burning cheeks, seemed to say, ‘‘There is no 
happiness in this face.'* 

“Such a thing was never heard of since 
the world began. It cannot be," said Andri'i, 
“that the best and most beautiful of women 
should suffer so bitter a fate, when she was 
born that all the best there is in the world 
should bow before her as before a saint. No, 
you will not die, you shall not die ! I swear 
it by my birth, and by all there is dear to 
me in the world, that you shall not die. 
But if it must be so; if nothing, neither 
strength, nor prayer, nor heroism, will avail to 
avert that cruel fate, — then we will die to- 
gether, and I will die first. I will die before 
you, at your beauteous knees, and even in 
death they shall not divide us." 

“ Deceive not yourself and me, knight," 
she said, gently shaking her beautiful head ; 
“I know, and to my great sorrow I know 


TARAS BULBA. 


149 


but too well, that it is impossible for you 
to love me. I know what your duty is, 
and your faith. Your father calls you, your 
comrades, your country, and we are your 
enemies."' 

^‘And what are my father, my comrades, 
my country, to me } " said Andrfi, with a 
quick movement of his head, and straight- 
ening up his figure like a poplar beside the 
river. ‘‘Be that as it may, I have no one, 
no one, no one ! " he repeated, with the move- 
ment of the hand with which the elastic, 
irrepressible Cossack expresses his determi- 
nation to do some unheard-of deed, impossible 
to any other man. “Who has said that my 
country was the Ukraine ? Who gave it to 
me for my country.^ Our country is the one 
our spirit longa for, the one which is dearest 
of all to it. My country is — you! That is 
my native land, and I bear that country in 
my heart. I will bear it there all my life, 
and I will see whether any of the Cossacks 


TARAS BULBA, 


150 

can tear it thence. And I will give every 
thing, barter every thing, I will destroy my- 
self, for that country ! '' 

Astounded for a space, she gazed in his 
eyes like a beautiful statue, and suddenly burst 
out sobbing ; and with the wonderful femi- 
nine impetuosity which only grand-souled, un- 
calculating women, created for fine impulses 
of the heart, are capable of, she threw herself 
upon his neck, encircling it with her won- 
drous snowy arms, and wept. At that mo- 
ment indistinct shouts rang through the street, 
accompanied by the sound of trumpets and 
kettle-drums; but he heard them not. He 
was only conscious of the lovely mouth bath- 
ing him in its warm, sweet breath, of the 
tears streaming down his face, and her long, 
unbound, perfumed hair, veiling him com- 
pletely in its dark and shining silk. 

At that moment the Tatar ran in with a cry 
of joy. ‘'Saved, saved!” she cried, beside 
herself. “ Our troops have arrived in the city. 


TARAS BULBA, 


151 

They have brought corn, millet, flour, and Za- 
porozhtzi in chains ! ” But no one heard that 
our troops had arrived in the city, or what they 
had brought with them, or how they had bound 
the Zaporozhtzi. Filled with feelings untasted 
upon earth, Andrii kissed the sweet mouth 
which pressed his cheek, and the sweet mouth 
did not remain unresponsive. In this union of 
kisses, they experienced ‘that which it is given 
to a man to feel but once on earth. 

And the Cossack was ruined. He was lost 
to the Cossack knighthood. Never again will 
Zaporozhe, nor his father’s house, nor the 
Church of God, behold him. The Ukraine will 
never more see the bravest of her children, who 
have undertaken to defend her. Old Taras 
may tear the gray locks from his top-knot, and 
curse the day and hour in which such a son 
was born to dishonor him. 


152 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


’ VII. 

Noise and movement were rife in the Zapo- 
rozhian camp. At first, no one could account 
for the army’s having made its way into the 
city ; but afterwards it appeared that the Pere- 
yaslavsky kuren, encamped before the wide 
gate of the town, had been dead drunk : it 
was no wonder that half had been killed, and 
the other half bound, before they knew what 
it was all about. Meantime the neighboring 
kurens, aroused by the tumult, succeeded in 
grasping their weapons ; but the army had 
already passed through the gate, and the last 
ranks fired upon the sleepy and only half-sober 
Zaporozhtzi who were pressing in disorder 
upon them, and kept them back. 

The koschevoi ordered all to be assembled ; 
and when all stood in a ring, and had removed 


TARAS BULBA, 


153 


their caps, and become quiet, he said, ‘‘See 
what happened last night, brother panove ! 
See what drunkenness has led to ! See what 
a disgrace the enemy has put upon us ! It is 
evidently so arranged with us, that, if your 
allowances are kindly doubled, then you are 
ready to stretch out at full length, and the 
enemies of Christ can not only take your very 
trousers off you, but can sneeze in your faces 
without your hearing them ! 

The Cossacks all stood with drooping heads, 
knowing that they were guilty : only the ataman 
of one kuren, Kukubenko the Nezamisky, an- 
swered back. “ Stop, batko ! said he : “ al- 
though it is not lawful to make such a retort 
when the koschevoi speaks before the whole 
army, yet it is necessary to say that that was 
not the state of the case. You have not been 
quite just in your reprimand. The Cossacks 
would have been guilty, and deserving of death, 
had they got drunk on the march, during war 
or heavy toilsome labor; but we have been 


154 


TARAS BULBA. 


sitting here unoccupied, loitering in vain be- 
fore the city. There was no fast, or other 
Christian restraint : how could it be otherwise, 
than that a man should get drunk in idleness } 
There is no sin in that. But we had better 
show them what it is to attack innocent 
people. They first beat us well, and now we 
will beat them so that not half a dozen of them 
will ever see home again.'’ 

The speech of the kuren ataman pleased 
the Cossacks. They raised their drooping heads 
upright, and many nodded approvingly, mutter- 
ing, Kukubenko has spoken well ! " And 
Taras Bulba, who stood not far from the kos- 
chevoi, said, How now, koschevoi } Kuku- 
benko has spoken truth. What have you to 
say to this } " 

‘'What have I to say.^ I say. Blessed be 
the father of such a son ! It requires not 
much wisdom to utter words of reproof; but 
much wisdom is needed to say such words as 
do not curse a man's misfortune, but encour- 


TARAS BULBA, 


155 


age him, restore to him his spirit, -put spurs 
to the horse of his soul, refreshed by water. 
I meant myself to speak words of comfort to 
you, but Kukubenko forestalled me.*’ 

“ The koschevoi also has spoken well ! ” 
rang through the ranks of the Zaporozhtzi. 

His words are good,” repeated others. And 
even the gray-heads who stood there like dark 
blue doves, nodded their heads, and, twitching 
their gray mustaches, said softly, ‘‘That word 
was well said.” 

“Listen now, panove,” continued the kos- 
chevoi. “To take the city, to scale it, or un- 
dermine it as the foreign engineers do, — let 
the enemy make that pretence : that is not 
proper nor Cossack fashion. But, judging from 
appearances, the enemy entered the city with- 
out many provisions ; they had not many tele- 
gas with them. The people in the city are 
hungry : they will all eat heartily, and the 
horses will devour the hay. I don’t know 
whether their saints will fling them down any 


156 


TAjRAS BULBA. 


thing from heaven with hay-forks : God only 
knows that. But, in a word, there are a great 
many Catholic priests among them. By one 
means or another they will leave the city. 
Divide yourselves, therefore, into three forces, 
and take up your posts before the three gates ; 
five kurens before the principal gate, and three 
kurens before each of the others. Let the 
Dadikivsky and Korsunsky kurens go into 
ambush ; Colonel Taras and his regiment into 
ambush ; the Titarevsky and Timoschevsky 
kurens are to guard the provisions from the 
right side of the transports, the Scherbinovsky 
and Steblikivsky on the left ; and select from 
the ranks the most daring young men to beat 
the foe. The Lyakhs are of a giddy nature, and 
cannot endure a fight, and perhaps this very 
day they will issue forth from the gates. Let 
each ataman inspect his kuren : those which 
are not full are to be recruited from the re- 
mains of the Pereyaslavsky kur6n. Inspect 
them all anew. Give a loaf and a beaker to 


TARAS BULBA. 


157 


each Cossack to strengthen him. But surely 
every one must be satiated from last night ; 
for all stuffed themselves so that, to tell the 
truth, I am only surprised that no one burst 
in the night. And here is one further com- 
mand : If any Jew rumseller sells a Cossack 
so much as a single jug of brandy, I will nail 
pig’s ears to his very forehead, the dog, and 
I will hang him up by his feet. To work, 
brothers, to work ! ” 

Thus did the koschevoi give his orders ; 
and all bowed to his girdle, and without put- 
ting on their caps set out for their transports 
and camps, and only when they had gone quite 
a distance did they put on their caps. All 
began to equip themselves ; they tested their 
swords, poured powder from the sacks into 
their powder-flasks, rolled out and arranged 
the wagons, and looked up their horses. 

On his way to his regiment, Taras wondered, 
and could not conceive, what had become of 
Andn'i : had he been captured and bound 


158 


TARAS BULBA. 


while asleep, with the others ? But no, Andrfi 
was not the man to go alive into captivity. 
And he was not to be seen among the slaugh- 
tered Cossacks. Taras pondered deeply, and 
went past his regiment, without hearing that 
some one had long been calling him by name. 
‘‘Who wants me.^” he said, finally coming 
to himself. Before him stood the Jew Yankel. 
“Pan colonel! pan colonel!'' said the Jew in 
a hasty and broken voice, as though desirous 
of revealing something not utterly useless. 
“I have been in the city, pan colonel!" 

Taras looked at the Jew, and wondered how 
he had succeeded in getting into the city. 
“ What enemy took you there } " 

“I will tell you at once," said Yankel. 
“As soon as I heard the uproar this morning, 
and when the Cossacks began to fire, I seized 
my caftan, and, without stopping to put it on, 
ran at the top of my speed, thrusting my arms 
in on the way, because .1 wanted to know as 
soon as possible the cause of the noise, and 


TARAS BULBA, 


159 


why the Cossacks were firing at dawn. I ran 
to the very gate of the city, at the moment 
when the last of the army was passing through. 
I look, and at the head of the file is Cornet 
Galyandovitch. He is a man well known to 
me : he has owed me a hundred ducats these 
three years past. I ran after him, as though 
to claim the debt of him, and so entered the 
city with them.” 

‘‘And you entered the city, and wanted to 
settle the debt!” said Bulba; “and he did 
not order you to be hung like a dog, on the 
spot } ” 

“ By heavens, he did want to hang me,” re- 
plied the Jew : “his servants had already seized 
me, and thrown a rope about my neck. But I 
besought the pan, and said that I would wait 
for the money as long as the pan liked, and 
promised to lend him more if he would only 
help me to collect my debts from the other 
knights : for I will tell the pan, that the pan 
cornet had not a ducat in his pocket, although 


l6o TARAS BULBA. 

he has farms and properties and four castles, 
and steppe-land that extends clear to Schklof ; 
but he has not a groschen, any more than a 
Cossack. And now, if the Breslau Jews had 
not equipped him, he could not have gone to 
the war. That was the reason he did not go 
to the Landtag.” 

‘‘ What did you do in the city ? Did you 
see any of our people } ” 

‘‘ Certainly, there are many of them there : 
Itzok, Rachum, Samuel, Khaivalkh, Evrei the 
pawnbroker ” — 

May they die, dogs ! ” shouted the enraged 
Taras. Why do you name over your Jewish 
tribe to me ? I ask you about our Zaporozhtzi.” 

‘‘ I saw none of our Zaporozhtzi : I saw only 
Pan Andrh.” 

“ You saw Andn'i ! ” shouted Bulba. ‘‘ What 
is he doing ? Where did you see him ? in a 
dungeon.^ in a pit.^ dishonored.^ bound 

“ Who would dare to bind Pan Andn'i ? now 
he is so grand a knight, I hardly recognized 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


l6l 

him. Gold on his shoulders and his belt, gold 
everywhere, always gold ; as the sun shines in 
spring, when every bird twitters and sings in 
the orchard, so he shines, all gold. And his 
horse, which the Voevod himself gave him, 
is the very best : the horse alone is worth two 
hundred ducats.” 

Bulba was petrified. '‘Why has he put on 
strange garments } ” 

" He put them on because they were finer. 
And he rides about, and the others ride about, 
and he teaches them, and they teach him ; like 
the very grandest Polish pan.” 

"Who forced him to this.^” 

" I should not say that he had been forced. 
Does not the pan know that he went over to 
them of his own free will.^” 

" Who went over ? ” 

"Pan Andrfi.” 

"Went where?” 

"Went over to their side: he is now a 


complete stranger.” 


TARAS BULBA, 


162 

‘‘You lie, you hog's ear!" 

“ How is it possible that I should lie ? Am 
I a fool, that I should lie ? Would I lie at the 
risk of my head? Do not I know that Jews 
are hung like dogs if they lie to the pani ? " 

“Then it means, that, in your opinion, he 
has betrayed his native land and his faith?" 

“I do not say that he has betrayed any 
thing: I merely said that he had gone over to 
them." 

“You lie, you imp of a Jew! Such a deed 
was never known in a Christian land. You 
are confusing things, dog ! " 

“May the grass grow upon the threshold 
of my house, if I am confusing things ! May 
every one spit upon the grave of my father, 
my mother, my father's father-in-law, and my 
mother's father, if I am confusing things! If 
the pan wishes, I can even tell him why he 
went over to them." 

“Why?" 

“ The Voevod has a beautiful daughter. 


TARAS BULBA, 


163 

Holy Father! what a beauty I '' Here the Jew 
tried his utmost to express beauty, extending 
his hands, screwing up his eyes, and twisting 
his mouth to one side as though tasting some- 
thing on trial. 

‘‘ Well, what of that ? ” 

He did it all for her, he went there for 
her. When a man is in love, then all things 
are the same to him ; like a sole which you 
can bend in any direction if you soak it in 
water.” 

Bulba reflected deeply. He remembered 
the great power of weak woman, — that she 
had ruined many a strong man, that this was 
the weak point in Andrii’s nature, — and he 
stood long in one place, as though rooted 
there. 

"‘Listen, pan, I will tell the pan all,” said 
the Jew. “As soon as I heard the uproar, and 
saw them going through the city gate, I seized 
a string of pearls, in case of any emergency. 
For there are beauties and noblewomen there; 


164 


TARAS BULBA. 


^and if there are beauties and noblewomen/ 
I said to myself, ‘ they will buy pearls, even if 
they have nothing to eat/ And, as soon as 
ever the cornet’s servants set me at liberty, 
I hastened to the Voevod’s court to sell my 
pearls. I asked all manner of questions of 
the Tatar maid ; the wedding is to take place 
immediately, as soon as they have driven off 
the Zaporozhtzi. Pan Andrii has promised to 
drive off the Zaporovians.” 

‘‘ And you did not kill him on the spot, you 
devil’s brat ^ ” shouted Bulba. 

Why should I kill him He went over of 
his own free will. What is his crime } He 
liked it better there, so he went there.” 
‘‘And you saw him face to face.^” 

“ Face to face, by heavens ! such a magnifi- 
cent warrior ! more splendid than all the rest. 
God bless him, he knew me at once, and when 
I approached him, he said at once ” 

“What did he say-?” 

“He said — First he beckoned me with his 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


i6s 


finger, and then he said, ‘Yankel!’ And I, 
‘Pan Andrfi!' I say. ‘Yankel, tell my father, 
tell my brother, tell all the Cossacks, all the 
Zaporozhtzi, everybody, that my father is no 
longer my father, nor my brother my brother, 
nor my comrades my comrades ; and that I will 
fight them all, all.’ ” 

“You lie, imp of a Jew!” shouted Taras, 
beside himself. “You lie, dog! I will kill you, 
Satan ! Get away from here ! if not, death 
awaits you ! ” So saying, Taras unsheathed 
his sword. 

The frightened Jew set off instantly, at the 
full speed of his thin, withered legs. He ran 
for a long time, without looking back, through 
the Cossack camp, and then far out on the 
deserted plain, although Taras did not chase 
him at all, reasoning that it was foolish to 
vent his rage on the first person who pre- 
sented himself. 

Then he recollected that he had seen Andrfi 
on the previous night, traversing the camp 


TARAS BULBA, 


1 66 

with some woman ; and he bowed his gray 
head. And still he would not believe that so 
disgraceful a thing could have happened, and 
that his own son had betrayed his faith and 
his soul. 

Finally he led his regiment into ambush, and 
hid himself with it behind a wood, — the only 
one which had not been burned by the Cossacks, 
— and the Zaporozhians, foot and horse, set 
out for the three gates by three different roads. 
One after another the kur^ns turned out : 
the Oumansky, Popovichesky, Kanevsky, Ste- 
blikovsky, Nezamaikovsky, Gurgazif, Titarev- 
sky, Timoschevsky. The Pereyaslavsky alone 
was wanting. Its Cossacks had smoked and 
drank it to its destruction. One awoke to find 
himself bound in the enemy's hands; another 
never woke at all, but went in his sleep into 
the damp earth ; and the ataman Khlib himself, 
minus his trousers and outward adornments, 
found himself in the camp of the Lyakhs. 

The uproar among the Cossacks was heard 


TARAS BULBA. 


167 


in the city. All hastened to the ramparts, 
and a lively scene was presented to the Cos- 
sacks. The Polish heroes, each handsomer 
than the other, stood on the wall. Their 
bronze helmets shone like the sun, and were 
adorned with feathers white as swans. Others 
wore light caps, pink and blue, with crowns 
drooping over one ear ; caftans with the 
sleeves thrown back, either embroidered with 
gold or simply corded. Their swords and 
guns were richly mounted, and the pani had 
paid great sums for them ; they had also 
many equipments of all sorts. In front stood 
the colonel proudly, in his red cap ornamented 
with gold. The Budzhakovsky colonel was 
taller and stouter than all the rest, and his 
rich and voluminous caftan hardly covered 
him. On the other hand, almost by the side 
gate, stood another colonel. He was a small, 
dried-up man ; but his small, piercing eyes 
gleamed sharply from under his thick and 
shaggy brows, and he turned quickly on all 


TARAS BULBA. 


1 68 

sides, motioning boldly with his thin, with- 
ered hand, and distributing his orders. It 
was evident, that, in spite of his little body, 
he understood military science thoroughly. 
Not far from him stood a tall, very tall, 
cornet, with thick mustaches, and he did 
not seem to lack color in his face : the 
pan was fond of strong mead and hearty 
revelry. And behind them were visible many 
nobles, who had equipped themselves, some 
with their own ducats, some from the royal 
treasury, some with money from the Jews, 
by pawning every thing they found in their 
ancestral castles. Many also were the sena- 
torial parasites, whom the senators took with 
them to dinners for show, who stole silver 
cups from the table and the sideboard, 
and who, after the day's show was over, 
mounted some gentleman's coach-box, and 
drove his horses. There were many of all 
sorts there. Sometimes there was not even 
enough to drink, but all were equipped for 


war. 


TARAS BULBA. 


169 


The Cossack ranks stood quietly before the 
walls. There was no gold about them, only 
here and there it shone on the hilt of a 
sword or the mountings of a gun. The Cos- 
sacks were not given to decking themselves 
out gayly for battle : their coats-of-mail and 
their svitkas were plain, and their black, red- 
crowned caps' glowed darkly in the distance. 

Two Cossacks advanced from the Zaporo- 
zhian ranks. One was quite young, the other 
older ; both fierce in words, and not bad 
specimens of Cossacks in action, — Okhrim 
Nasch and Mikiga Golokopuitenko. They were 
followed by Demid Popovitch, a robust Cos- 
sack who had been hanging about the Setch 
for a long time, who had been at Adrianople, 
and undergone a great deal in the course 
of his life. He had been burned, and had 
run away to the Setch with tarred and black- 
ened head and singed mustaches. But Popo- 
vitch recovered, let his hair grow, raised mus- 
taches thick and black as pitch, and was a 


170 


TARAS BULBA, 


Stout fellow, according to Popovitch’s own 
biting speech. 

‘‘Red jackets on all the army, but I should 
like to know whether the strength corre- 
sponds.” 

“ ril give it to you,” shouted a stout colonel 
from above. “ I will bind you all. Surrender 
your guns and horses, slaves. ’ Did you see 
how I bound your men } — Bring out a Zapo- 
rozhetz on the wall, for them to see.” 

And they led out a Zaporozhetz loaded with 
rope bonds. 

Before them stood the ataman of the kuren, 
Khlib, without his trousers and outward 
adornments, just as they had captured him 
in his drunken sleep ; and the ataman bowed 
his head in shame before the Cossacks at his 
nakedness, and at having been taken prisoner 
like a dog, while asleep. His powerful head 
had turned gray in one night. 

“ Grieve not, Khlib : we will rescue you,” 
shouted the Cossacks from below. 


TARAS BULBA. 


171 

‘^Grieve not, friend,” cried ataman' Borodaty. 
‘‘It is not your fault that they caught you 
naked : that misfortune can happen to any 
man. But it is a disgrace to them, that they 
have exposed you to dishonor, and not covered 
your nakedness decently.” 

“You seem to be a brave army when you 
meet people asleep,” remarked Golokopuitenko, 
glancing at the ramparts. 

“ Wait, we’ll singe your top-knots for you ! ” 

“ I should like to see them singe our 
locks ! ” said Popovitch, prancing about before 
them on his horse ; and then, glancing at his 
comrades, he said, “ Well, perhaps the Lyakhs 
speak the truth : if that fat-bellied fellow there 
leads them, they will all find a good shelter 
behind him.” 

“ Why do you think they will find a good 
shelter ” asked the Cossacks, knowing that 
Popovitch was probably preparing some remark, 

* Ordinarily it is accented ataman^ but the Little Russian accent 
as given by Gogol is as above. 


\^2 TARAS BULBA, 

Because the whole army will hide behind 
him ; and the devil himself couldn’t help you 
to reach anybody with your spear, from behind 
that belly of his ! ” 

All the Cossacks laughed, and many of 
them shook their heads, saying, What a 
fellow Popovitch is, if anybody wants to turn 
a phrase ! but now ” — But the Cossacks did 
not explain what they meant by that now, 

‘‘Fall back, fall back quickly from the wall!’* 
shouted the koschevoi ; for it seemed that 
the Lyakhs could not endure these biting 
words, and the colonel waved his hand. 

The Cossacks had hardly retreated from 
the wall, when the grape-shot rained down. 
On the ramparts all was excitement, and the 
gray-haired Voevod himself appeared on horse- 
back. The gates opened, and the army sallied 
forth. In front came the mounted hussars 
in orderly ranks, behind them the men in 
armor, then all those with brazen helmets ; 
after them rode singly the highest nobility, 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


173 


each man dressed as he pleased. The haughty 
nobles would not mingle in the ranks with 
the others, and those who had no commands 
rode alone with their own followers. After 
these came more companies, and after these 
still emerged the cornet, then more files of 
men, and then the stout colonel ; and in the 
rear of the whole army came the little colonel. 

“ Keep them from forming in line ! shouted 
the koschevoi ; ‘‘let.all the kurens attack them 
at once ! Block the other gate ! Titarevsky 
kuren, fall on one flank ! Dyadovsky kur^n, 
fall on the other ! Attack them in the rear, 
Kukubenko and Palivod ! Hinder them, 
divide them ! And the Cossacks attacked 
on all sides, killing the Lyakhs and throwing 
them into confusion, and getting confused 
themselves. They did not even give them 
time to fire : it came to swords and spears at 
once. All fought in a mass, and each man 
had an opportunity to distinguish himself. 

Demid Popovitch ran three common soldiers 


174 


TARAS BULBA, 


through, and cut two of the highest nobles 
from their horses, saying, ‘‘ Here are good 
horses ! I have long wanted just such horses.** 
And he drove the horses far afield, shouting 
to the Cossacks standing about to catch them. 
Then he flung himself again into the throng, 
fell again upon the fallen nobles, killed one, 
and flung his lasso round the neck of the 
other, tied him to his saddle, and dragged him 
all over the plain, having taken from him his 
sword with its rich hilt, and removed from 
his girdle a whole bag of ducats. 

Kobita, a good Cossack and still very young, 
attacked one of the bravest men in the Polish 
army, and they fought long together. They 
had come to fisticuffs, and the Cossack had 
nearly conquered, and, throwing him down, 
stabbed him in the breast with his sharp 
Turkish knife. But he did not guard him- 
self properly : a hot bullet struck him on the 
temple. The man who struck him down was 
the most distinguished of the pani, the hand- 


TARAS BULBA, 


I7S 

somest knight of an ancient and princely race. 
Like a stately poplar, he bestrode his tawny 
steed. And many heroic deeds did the boyar 
perform : he cut two Cossacks in twain ; Fedor 
Korzh, the brave Cossack, he overthrew to- 
gether with his horse ; he shot the horse, and 
picked the Cossack off with his spear ; many 
heads and hands did he hew off ; and he killed 
Cossack Kobita, sending a bullet through his 
temple. 

‘‘There’s the man I should like to meas- 
ure forces with ! ” shouted Kukubenko, the 
ataman of the Nezamaikovsky kuren. Spur- 
ring on his horse, he flew straight at his back, 
and shouted loudly, so that all who stood near 
shuddered at that unearthly yell. The Lyakh 
tried to turn his horse suddenly, and face 
him, but the horse did not obey : frightened 
by the terrible cry, it sprang aside, and the 
Lyakh received Kukubenko’s fire. The hot 
ball struck him in the shoulder-blade, and he 
rolled from his horse. But even then he did not 


176 


TARAS BULBA, 


surrender, but still strove to . deal his enemy 
a blow ; but his hand, falling with the sword, 
was weak. Then Kukubenko, taking his 
heavy sword in both hands, drove it through 
his pallid mouth. The sword, breaking out 
two teeth, cut the tongue in twain, pierced 
the windpipe, and penetrated deep into the 
earth ; and so he fastened him there forever 
to the damp ground. His noble blood, red 
as viburnum berries beside the river, welled 
up in a fountain, and stained his yellow,' gold- 
embroidered caftan. But Kukubenko had al- 
ready left him, and was forcing his way, with 
his Nezamaikovsky kuren, towards another 
group. 

Eh, he left untouched such valuable equip- 
ments.^’' said Borodaty, ataman of the Ou- 
mansky kur^n, leaving his men, and going to 
the place where the nobleman killed by Ku- 
kubenko lay; have killed seven nobles 
with my own hand, but such equipments I 
never beheld on any one.” And, prompted 


TARAS BULBA. 


177 


by greed, Borodaty bent down to take off 
the rich armor, and had already pulled off his 
Turkish knife set with precious stones, loosed 
from his belt the purse of ducats, from his 
breast the case of fine linen, silver, and a 
maiden’s curl, cherished carefully as a sou- 
venir. And Borodaty heeded not how the 
red-nosed cornet flew upon him from behind; 
he had already once hurled him from the 
saddle, and given him a good blow as a 
remembrance. He flourished his arm with all 
his might, and brought down his sword upon 
the bent neck. Greed led to no good : the 
strong head rolled off, and the body fell head- 
less, sprinkling the earth far and wide ; the 
Cossack soul ascended, grimacing, indignant, 
and surprised at having so soon quitted so 
stout a body. The cornet had not succeeded 
in seizing the ataman’s head by its scalp-lock, 
and fastening it to his saddle, before an 
avenger arrived. 

As a vulture floating in the sky, beating 


178 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


great circles with his mighty wings, suddenly 
remains poised in air, in one spot, and thence 
darts down like an arrow upon the shrieking 
male quail beside the road ; just so Taras’s 
son Ostap flew suddenly upon the cornet, 
and flung a rope about his neck with one 
cast. The cornet’s red face became a still 
deeper purple when the cruel noose pressed 
his throat, and he tried to sieze his pistol ; 
but his convulsively quivering hand could not 
direct the shot, and the bullet flew wild across 
the plain. Ostap immediately unfastened a 
silken cord which the cornet carried at his 
saddle-bow to bind prisoners, and with this 
cord bound him hand and foot, attached the 
cord to his saddle, and dragged him across 
the field, calling all the Cossacks of the Ou- 
mansky kuren to come and render the last 
honors to their ataman. 

When the Oumantzi heard that the ata- 
man of their kuren, Borodaty, was no longer 
among the living, they deserted the field of 


TARAS BULBA. 


179 


battle, and rushed to get his body; and con- 
sulted at once whom to select as their leader. 
At length they said, But why consult } It 
is impossible to appoint a better leader than 
Bulba's Ostap : he is younger than all the 
rest of us, it is true; but his judgment is 
equal to that of the eldest." 

Ostap, taking off his cap, thanked all his 
Cossack comrades for the honor, and did not 
decline either on account of his youth or 
youthful judgment, knowing that war-time is 
no fitting season for that ; but instantly or- 
dered them straight to the throng, and already 
showed them all that not in vain had they 
chosen him as ataman. The Lyakhs felt that 
the matter was growing too hot for them, 
and retreated across the plain in order to 
assemble again at its other extremity. But 
the little colonel signalled to the fresh divis- 
ion of four hundred, standing at the gate, 
and they rained down grape-shot upon the 
Cossack throng ; but to little purpose their 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


i8o 

shot took effect in the Cossack oxen, who 
were gazing wildly upon the battle. The 
frightened oxen bellowed, turned on the herd 
of horses, broke the wagons, and trampled 
on many. But Taras, emerging from ambush 
at the moment, with his troops, flung himself 
on the stockade. He headed off the infuriated 
herd startled by his yell, and swooped down 
upon the Polish regiments, overthrew the cav- 
alry, crushed and dispersed them all. 

‘‘ Oh, thank you, oxen ! ” cried the Zapo- 
rozhtzi: ‘‘you served us on the march, and 
now you serve us in war.'^ And they attacked 
the foe with fresh vigor. They killed many of 
the enemy. Many distinguished themselves, — 
Metelitza, Schilo, both of the Pisarenki, Vov- 
tuzenko, and many others. The Lyakhs per- 
ceived that matters were going ill ; flung away 
their banners, and shouted for the city gates 
to be opened. With a squeak the iron-bound 
gates opened, and received the weary and 
dust-covered riders, flocking in like sheep into 


TARAS BULBA, 


i8i 


a fold. Many of the Zaporozhtzi would have 
pursued them ; but Ostap stopped his Ou- 
inantzi, saying, ‘‘ Farther, farther from the 
walls, brother pani ! it is not well to approach 
them too closely.'* And he spoke truly; for 
from the ramparts rained and poured down 
every thing which came to hand, and a great 
many were struck. At that moment the kos- 
chevoi came up, and congratulated Ostap, 
saying, '‘Here is the new ataman leading the 
army like an old one ! " Old Bulba glanced 
round to see the new ataman, and beheld Os- 
tap sitting on his horse at the head of the 
Oumantzi, his cap on one ear, and the ataman’s 
staff in his hand. "Who ever saw the like!” 
he exclaimed ; and the old man rejoiced, and 
began to thank all the Oumantzi for the honor 
they had conferred upon his son. 

The Cossacks retired, again preparing to go 
into camp ; but the Lyakhs showed themselves 
again on the city ramparts with tattered 
mantles. Many rich caftans were spotted 


i 82 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


with blood, and dust covered the beautiful 
brazen helmets. 

“ Have you bound us } cried the Zapo- 
rozhtzi to them from below. 

‘H'll give it to you!” shouted the big col- 
onel from above, showing them a rope ; and 
the weary, dust-covered warriors ceased not 
to threaten, and all the most zealous on both 
sides exchanged fierce remarks. 

At length all dispersed. One, weary with 
battle, stretched himself out to rest ; another 
sprinkled his wounds with earth, and bound 
them with kerchiefs and rich garments cap- 
tured from the enemy. Others, who were 
fresher, began to inspect the corpses, and 
to render them the last honors. They dug 
graves with swords and spears, brought earth 
in their caps and the skirts of their garments, 
laid the Cossacks’ bodies out decently, and 
sprinkled them with fresh earth in order 
that the ravens and eagles might not claw 
out their eyes. But binding the bodies of 


TARAS BULBA. 


183 


Lyakhs by tens, as they came to hand, to the 
tails of wild horses, they let these loose on 
the plain, pursued them, and beat them for 
a long time on their flanks. The infuriated 
horses flew over furrow and hillock, through 
ditch and brook, and beat the bodies of the 
Poles, all covered with blood and dust, upon 
the earth. 

Then all the kurens sat down in circles in 
the evening, and talked long of their deeds, 
and of the achievements which had fallen to 
the share of each, for eternal repetition by 
strangers and posterity. It was long before 
they lay down to sleep ; and longer still be- 
fore old Taras, meditating what it might sig- 
nify that Andrfi was not among the foe, lay 
down. Had Judas been ashamed to come 
forth against his own countrymen ? or had 
the Jew been deceiving him, and had he 
simply gone against his will ? But then he 
recollected that there were no bounds to 
woman’s influence upon AndnYs heart : he 


184 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


felt ashamed, and swore a mighty oath in 
spirit against the fair Pole who had charmed 
his son. And he would have kept his oath. 
He would not have glanced at her beauty: 
he would have dragged her forth by her 
thick and splendid hair ; he would have 
dragged her after him over all the plain, 
among all the Cossacks. Her beautiful 
shoulders and bosom, white as fresh-fallen 
snow upon the mountain-tops, would have 
been crushed upon the earth, all covered with 
blood and dust. Her lovely body would have 
been torn in pieces. But Taras did not foresee 
what God prepares for man on the morrow, 
began to forget himself with drowsiness, and 
finally fell asleep. But the Cossacks still 
talked among themselves ; and the sober sen- 
tinel stood all night long beside the fire 
without winking, looking intently on all sides. 


TAJ^AS BULBA. 


I8S 


VIII. 

The sun had not scaled half the height of 
heaven when all the Cossacks assembled in 
a group. News had arrived from the Setch 
that the Tatars, during the Cossacks’ absence, 
had plundered it completely, unearthed the 
treasures which the Cossacks kept concealed 
in the ground, had killed or carried into cap- 
tivity all who remained, and had straightway 
set out, with all the flocks and droves of horses 
they had collected, for Perekop. One Cossack 
only, Maksim Galodukha, had forced his way 
out of the Tatars’ hands, had stabbed the 
Mirza, had unbound his bag of sequins, and 
on a Tatar horse, in Tatar garments, had 
fled from before his pursuers for two nights 
and a day and a half, ridden his horse to 
death, changed to another, killed that one 


TARAS BULBA, 


186 

also, and arrived at the Zaporozhian camp 
upon a third, having learned upon the road 
that the Zaporozhtzi were before Dubno. He 
only succeeded in informing them that this 
misfortune had happened ; but how it hap- 
pened, — whether the remaining Zaporozhtzi 
had been carousing after Cossack fashion, 
and had been carried drunk into captivity, 
and how the Tatars knew of the spot where 
the treasures of the army were concealed, — 
he said nothing. The Cossack was extremely 
fatigued ; he was all swollen, and his face 
was burned and beaten by the weather; he 
fell down at once, and a deep sleep over- 
powered him. 

In such cases it was customary for the 
Cossacks to pursue the robbers on the in- 
stant, endeavoring to overtake them on the 
road; for, let the prisoners once be got to 
the bazaars of Asia Minor, in Smyrna, or the 
island of Crete, and God knows in what places 
the tufted heads of Zaporozhtzi might not be 


TAIRAS BULBA. 1 87 

seen. This was the occasion of the Cossacks’ 
assembling. They all stood to a man with 
their caps on ; for they were not come to- 
gether to listen to the commands of their 
governing ataman, but to take counsel to- 
gether as equals among equals. “Let the 
old men first advise,” was shouted in the 
crowd. “ Let the koschevoi give his opin- 
ion, said others. 

And the koschevoi, taking off his cap, not 
as commander, but as a comrade among com- 
rades, thanked all the Cossacks for the honor, 
and said, “ There are among us many old 
men, and much advice of wise men ; but 
since you have thought me worthy, this is 
my counsel : not to lose time, comrades, in 
pursuing the Tatars, for you know yourselves 
what the Tatar is. He will not pause with 
his stolen booty to await our coming, but 
will vanish in a twinkling, so that you can 
find no trace of him. Therefore this is my 
counsel : to go. We have revelled here. The 


TARAS BULBA, 


1 88 

Lyakhs know what Cossacks are. We have 
avenged our faith to the extent of our powers ; 
there is- not much to satisfy greed in the 
famished city, and so my advice is to go.*' 
‘‘To go," rang heavily through the Zapo- 
rozhian kurens. But such words did not suit 
Taras Bulba's mood at all ; and he brought 
his frowning, iron-gray brows still lower down 
over his eyes, like bushes growing on dark 
mountain heights, whose crowns are suddenly 
covered with prickly northern frost 

“No, koschevoi, your counsel is not good," 
said he. “You will not say that. You have 
evidently forgotten that our men captured by 
the Lyakhs will remain prisoners. You evi- 
dently wish that we should not heed the 
first holy law of comradeship ; that we should 
leave our brethren to be flayed alive, or to 
be carried about through the towns and 
villages after their Cossack bodies had been 
quartered, as they did with the hetman and 
the bravest Russian warriors in the Ukraine. 


TARAS BULBA, 


189 


Have they not desecrated the holy things 
sufficiently without that ? What are we ? I 
ask you all, what sort of a Cossack is 
he who would desert his comrade in mis- 
fortune, and let him perish like a dog in a 
foreign land ? If it has come to such a pass 
that no one has any confidence in Cossack 
honor, permitting men to spit upon his gray 
mustache, and upbraid him with offensive 
words, then let no one blame me : I will re- 
main here alone/' 

All the Zaporozhtzi who stood there wa- 
vered. 

^‘And have you forgotten, brave colonel,” 
said the koschevoi, ‘‘that the Tatars also 
have our comrades in their hands; that, if 
we do not rescue them now, their lives will 
be sacrificed to eternal imprisonment among 
the infidels, which is worse than the most 
cruel death ? Have you forgotten that they 
now hold all our treasure, won by Christian 
blood?” 


190 


TARAS BULBA. 


All the Cossacks meditated, and knew not 
what to say. None of them wished to de- 
serve disgraceful renown. Then there stepped 
out in front of them the oldest in years of 
all the Zaporozhian army, Kasyan Bovdug. 
He was respected by all the Cossacks. Twice 
had he been chosen koschevoi, and he had 
also been a stout, brave Cossack in the wars : 
but he had long been old, and had been upon 
no expeditions, neither did the old man like 
to give advice to any one ; but he loved to 
lie constantly upon his side in 1:he ring of 
Cossacks, listening to tales of every occurrence 
on the Cossack marches. He never joined 
in the conversation, but only listened, and 
pressed the ashes with his finger in his short 
pipe, which never left his mouth; and then 
* ' he sat long with his eyes half open, and the 
Cossacks never knew whether he were asleep 
or still listening. He always staid at home 
during their expeditions, but this time the 
old man had joined the discussion. He waved 


TARAS BULBA, 


191 

his hand in Cossack fashion, and said, Wher- 
ever you go, I am going too ; perhaps I may 
be of some service to the Cossack nation.” 
All the Cossacks became silent when he 
now stepped forward before the assembly, 
for it was long since any speech from him 
had been heard. Each one wanted to know 
what Bovdug had to say. 

*‘It is my turn to speak a word, brother 
pani,” thus he began : ‘'listen, my children, to 
the old man. The koschevoi spoke well as 
the head of the- Cossack army; being bound 
to protect it, and regretting the treasures of 
the army, he could say nothing wiser. There 
it is ! Let that be my first remark ; but now 
listen to my second. And this is my second 
remark: Colonel Taras spoke even more truly. 
God grant him many years, and that such * 
colonels may be plentiful . in the Ukraine ! A 
Cossack's first duty and first honor is to guard 
comradeship. Never in all my life, brother 
pani, have I heard of any Cossack deserting 


192 


TARAS BULBA. 


or betraying any of his comrades. Both those 
and these are our comrades : whether they 
are few or many, it makes no difference ; 
all are our comrades, and all are dear to us. 
So this is my speech : Let those to whom the 
prisoners captured by the Tatars are dear, 
set out after the Tatars; and let those to 
whom the captives of the Poles are dear, and 
who do not care to desert a righteous cause, 
stay behind. The koschevoi, in accordance 
with his duty, will accompany one half in pur- 
suit of the Tatars, and the other half can 
choose an atdman to lead them. But if you 
will heed the words of an old man, there is 
no man fitter to be the commanding ataman 
than Taras Bulba. Not one of us is his equal 
in heroism.** 

Thus spoke Bovdug, and paused ; and all the 
Cossacks rejoiced that the old man had in this 
manner brought them to reason. All flung 
up their caps, and shouted, ‘^Thanks, batko 
[father] ! He kept silence, he kept silence 


TARAS BULBA, 


193 


for a long, long time, but he has spoken at last. 
Not in vain did he say, when we prepared for 
this expedition, that he would be useful to the 
Cossack nation : even so it has come to pass ! 

‘‘ Well, are you agreed upon any thing } 
asked the koschevoi. 

“ All agreed ! ” cried the Cossacks. 

‘‘Then the council is at an end.^^*’ 

“At an end!*' cried the Cossacks. 

“Then listen to the military command, chil- 
dren,” said the koschevoi, stepping forward, 
and putting on his cap ; and all the Cossacks 
took off theirs, and stood with uncovered 
heads, and with eyes fixed upon the earth, as 
was always the custom among the Cossacks 
when the leader prepared to speak. “Now 
divide yourselves, brother pani ! Let those 
who wish to go stand on the right, and those 
who wish to stay, on the left. Where the 
majority of a kuren goes, there the rest are 
to go: if the minority of a kur^n goes over, 
it must be added to another kur^n.” 


194 


TARAS BULBA. 


And then they began to take up their posi- 
tions, some to the right, and some to the 
left. Whither the majority of a kuren went, 
thither the ataman went also ; and the kur^n 
where there was a minority attached itself to 
another kuren : and it came out pretty even on 
both sides. Those who wished to remain were 
nearly the whole of the Nezamaikovsky kuren, 
the larger half of the Popovitchvsky kuren, the 
entire Oumansky kuren, the entire Kanevsky 
kuren, and the larger half of the Timoschev- 
sky and the Steblikivsky kurens. All the 
rest preferred to go in pursuit of the Tatars. 
On both sides there were many stout and 
brave Cossacks. Among those who ^decided 
to follow the Tatars were Tcherevaty, and the 
good old Cossacks Pokotipole, Lemfsch, and 
Prokopovitch Khoma. Demid Popovitch also 
went in that party, because the Cossack na- 
ture was deeply involved, and he could not 
sit long in one place : he had tried his hand 
on the Lyakhs, and wanted to try it oh the 


TARAS BULBA, 


19s 

Tatars also. The atamans of kurens were 
Nostiugan, Pokruischka, Nevnimsky, and many 
other brave and renowned Cossacks who 
wished to try their swords and brawny shoul- 
ders in an encounter with the Tatars. There 
were likewise many very brave Cossacks among 
those who preferred to remain : the kuren 
atamans, Demitrovitch, Kukubenko, Vertfkh- 
vist, Balan, and Ostap Bulba. Besides these 
there were many stout and distinguished Cos- 
sacks : Vovtuzenko, Tcherevitch^nko, Stepan 
Guska, Okhrim Guska, Vikola Gonstiy, Zado- 
rozhniy, Metelitza, Ivan Zakrutfguba, Mosiy 
Schilo, Degtyar^nko, Sidorenko, Pisarenko, a 
second Pisarenko, and still another Pisarenko, 
and many other good Cossacks. They were 
all great travellers ; they had been on the 
shores of Anatolia, on the salt marshes and 
steppes of the Crimea, on all the rivers great 
and small which empty into the Diiiepr, and 
on all the fords and islands of the Dniepr; 
they had been in Moldavia, Wallachia, and 


196 


TAJ?AS BULBA. 


Turkey ; they had sailed all over the Black 
Sea, in their double-ruddered Cossack boats ; 
they had attacked with fifty skiffs in line the 
tallest and richest ships ; they had sunk many 
a Turkish galley, and had burnt much, very 
much powder in their day ; more than once 
they had torn foot-bandages from velvets and 
rich stuffs ; more than once they had beaten 
buckles for their trouser-suspenders out of 
sequins. And every one of them had drunk 
and revelled away what would have sufficed 
any other for a whole lifetime, and there was 
nothing to show for it. They spent it all, like 
Cossacks, in treating all the world, and in 
hiring music that every one might be merry. 
Even now very few of them had amassed any 
property : caskets, cups, bracelets, were hidden 
beneath the reeds on the islands of the 
Dniepr in order that the Tatars might not find 
them if in case of disaster they should suc- 
ceed in falling suddenly on the Setch ; but 
it would have been difficult for the Tatar to 


TAjRAS BULBA. 


197 


find them, for the owner himself forgot where 
he had buried them. Such were the Cossacks 
who wished to remain, and take vengeance on 
the Lyakhs for their trusty comrades, and the 
faith of Christ. The old Cossack Bovdug 
wished also to remain with them, saying, ‘‘ I 
am not of an age to pursue the Tatars, but 
this is a place to meet a good Cossack death. 
I have long prayed God, that when my life was 
to end, I might end it in battle for a holy and 
Christian cause. And so it has come to pass. 
There can be no more glorious end in any 
other place for the aged Cossack.'’ 

When they had all separated, and stood in 
two lines on opposite sides, the koschevoi 
passed through the ranks, and said, ‘‘Well, 
brother pani, are the two parties satisfied with 
each other ” 

“All satisfied, batko!” replied the Cossacks. 

“Then kiss each other, and bid farewell; for 
God knows whether you will ever see each 
other alive again. Obey your ataman, and 


TARAS BC/LBA. 


198 

you know yourselves what you have to do : 
you know yourselves what Cossack honor 
requires.” 

And all the Cossacks kissed each other. 
The atdmans first began it : stroking down 
their gray mustaches, they kissed each other 
in cross form, and then, grasping hands firm- 
ly, they wanted to ask each other, “Well, 
brother pan, shall we see each other again 
or not ? ” But they did not ask the question : 
they kept silence, and both gray-heads medi- 
tated. Then the Cossacks took leave of each 
other to the last man, knowing that there 
was a great deal of work before them all. 
Yet they were not obliged to part at once: 
they must wait until dark night, in order not 
to let the Lyakhs perceive the diminution in 
the Cossack army. Then all went off, by 
kurdns, to dine. 

After dinner, all who had the journey before 
them lay down to rest, and fell into a deep 
and long sleep, as though foreseeing that it 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


199 


was the last sleep they should taste in such 
freedom. They slept even until sunset ; and 
when the sun had gone down, and it had 
grown somewhat dusky, they began to grease 
the telegas. All being in readiness, they sent 
the wagons ahead, and, having pulled off their 
caps once more to their comrades, they quietly 
followed the transports. The cavalry with dig- 
nity, without shouts or whistles to the horses, 
tramped lightly after the foot-soldiers ; and all 
soon vanished in the darkness. The only 
sound was the dull thud of horses’ hoofs, or 
the squeak of some wheel which had not got 
into working order, or had not been properly 
greased amid the darkness. 

Their comrades stood long waving their 
hands, though nothing was visible. But when 
these returned to their places, and saw by 
the light of the gleaming stars that half the 
telegas were gone, and many, many of their 
comrades, then each man’s heart grew sad ; 
and all became involuntarily pensive, and 


200 


TARAS BULBA. 


drooped their pleasure-loving heads towards 
the earth. 

Taras saw how troubled were the Cossack 
ranks, and that sadness, unsuited to brave men, 
had begun to quietly master the Cossack 
heads ; but he remained silent. He wished to 
give them all time to become accustomed to 
the melancholy caused by their parting from 
their comrades ; but, meantime, he was quietly 
preparing to rouse them all suddenly, with one 
blow, by a loud battle-cry in Cossack fashion, 
in order that, with greater strength than before, 
that good cheer might return to the soul of each, 
of which only the Slav nature (a broad, power- 
ful nature, which is to others what the sea is 
to small rivulets) is capable. In stormy times 
it all turns to roaring and thunder, raging, and 
raising such waves as weak rivers cannot throw 
up ; but when it is windless and quiet, clearer 
than any river, it spreads its boundless, glassy 
surface, a constant delight to the eye. 

And Taras ordered his servants to unload 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


201 


one of the wagons which stood apart. It was 
larger and stronger than any other in the Cos- 
sack camp ; two stout tires encircled its mighty 
wheels. It was heavily laden, covered with 
horsecloths and strong wolf-skins, and firmly 
bound with tightly drawn tarred ropes. In the 
wagon were flasks and casks of good old wine, 
which had long lain in Taras’s cellar. He had 
brought it along to celebrate some occasion, in 
case a grand moment should arrive, when some 
deed awaited them worthy of being handed 
down to posterity, so that each Cossack, to the 
very last man, might quaff the forbidden wine, 
and be inspired with a grand sentiment befit- 
ting the grand moment. On receiving their 
colonel’s command, the servants hastened to 
the wagon, hewed the stout ropes with their 
swords, removed the thick wolf-skins and horse- 
cloths, and drew forth the flasks and casks. 

‘‘Take them all,” said Bulba, “all there are; 
take them, that every one may be supplied. 
Take jugs, or the pails for watering the horses ; 


202 


TARAS BULBA. 


take sleeve or cap; but if you have nothing 
else, then hold your two fists under/* 

And all the Cossacks seized something : one 
took a jug, another a pail, another a sleeve, 
another a cap, and another held both hands. 
Taras’s servants, making their way among the 
ranks, poured out for all, from the casks and 
flasks. But Taras ordered them not to drink 
until he should give the signal for all to drink 
together. It was evident that he wished to say 
something. Taras knew that however good in 
itself the old wine might be, and however 
fitted to strengthen the spirit of man, yet, if a 
suitable speech were linked with it, then the 
strength of the wine and of the spirit would 
be double. 

‘‘I treat you, brother pani,’* thus spoke 
Bulba, ^‘not in honor of your having made me 
ataman, however great such an honor may be, 
nor in honor of our parting from ohr com- 
rades. No ; both are fitting at a fitting time : 
the moment before us is not such a time. The 


TARAS BULBA. 


203 


work before us is great in labor, and in glory 
for the Cossacks. And therefore let us drink 
all together, let us drink before all else, to the 
holy orthodox faith, that the day may finally 
come when it may be spread over all the world, 
and that everywhere there may be but one 
faith, and that all Mussulmans may become 
Christians. And let us also drink together 
to the Setch, that it may stand long for the 
ruin of the Mussulmans, that each year there 
may issue forth from it young men, each 
better, each handsomer, than the other. And 
let us drink to our own glory, that our 
grandsons and their sons may say that there 
were once men who were not ashamed of 
comradeship, and who never betrayed each 
other. Now to the faith, brother pani, to the 
faith ! " 

‘‘ To the faith ! cried those standing in the 
ranks near by, with thick voices. ‘‘To the 
faith ! those more distant took up the cry ; 
and all, both young and old, drank to the faith. 


204 


TARAS BULBA, 


‘‘To the Setch!'' said Taras, raising his 
hand high above his head. 

“To the Setch ! echoed the foremost ranks. 
“To the Setch!'' said the old men softly, 
twitching their gray mustaches ; and eagerly 
as young hawks, the youths repeated, “To the 
Setch ! " And the distant plain heard how 
the Cossacks mentioned their Setch. 

“ Now a last draught, comrades, to the glory 
of all Christians now living in the world I " 

And every Cossack drank a last draught to 
the glory of all the Christians in the world. 
And among all the ranks in all the kurens, 
they long repeated, “ To all the Christians in 
the world I " 

The pails were empty, but the Cossacks still 
stood with their hands uplifted. Although the 
eyes of all gleamed brightly with the wine, 
they were thinking deeply. Not of greed or 
the spoils of war were they thinking now, nor 
of who would be lucky enough to get ducats, 
fine weapons, embroidered caftans, and Tcher- 


TARAS BULBA. 


205 


kessian horses ; but they meditated like eagles 
perched upon the rocky crests of mountains, 
from which the distant boundless sea is visible, 
dotted, as with tiny birds, with galleys, ships, 
and every sort of vessel, confined only by the 
scarcely visible, thin lines of shore, with their 
sea-coast cities like gnats, and their forests like 
small grass. Like eagles they gazed about on 
all the plain, with their fate darkling in the 
distance. All the plain, with its slopes and 
roads, will be covered with their white pro- 
jecting bones, lavishly washed with their Cos- 
sack blood, and strewn with shattered wagons 
and with broken swords and spears : still 
higher rise the tufted heads, with downward- 
drooping mustaches ; the eagles will swoop 
down, and tear out their Cossack eyes. But 
there is one grand advantage in this wide and 
free bivouac : not a single noble deed will 
be lost, and, like the tiniest grain of powder 
from a gun-barrel, the Cossack glory will not 
vanish. The bandoura-player with gray beard 


206 


TARAS BULBA. 


falling upon his breast, and perhaps a white- 
headed old man still full of ripe, manly 
strength, prophesying in spirit, will come, and 
will speak his low, strong words of them. And 
their glory will resound through all the world, 
and all who are born thereafter will speak of 
them ; for the word of power is carried afar, 
ringing like a booming brazen bell, in which 
the maker has mingled much rich, pure silver, 
that its beautiful sound may be borne far and 
wide through the cities, villages, huts, and 
palaces, summoning all betimes to holy prayer. 


TARAS BULBA, 


207 


IX. 

In the city, no* one knew that one-half of 
the Cossacks had gone in pursuit of the Tatars. 
From the tower of the court, the sentinel only 
perceived that a part of the wagons had been 
dragged into the forest : but they thought the 
Cossacks were preparing an ambush ; thus 
thought the French engineer also. Meanwhile 
the koschevoi’s words proved not unfounded, 
and a scarcity of provisions arose in the city. 
According to a custom of past centuries, the 
army did not separate as much as was neces- 
sary. They tried to make a sortie ; but half 
the daring men were instantly killed by the 
Cossacks, and the other half driven into the 
city with no results. But the Jews availed 
themselves of the opportunity to find out 
every thing ; whither and why the Zaporozhtzi 


208 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


had departed, and with what leaders, and which 
particular kurens, and their number, and how 
many had remained on the spot, and what they 
intended to do : in short, within a few minutes 
all was known in the city. 

The colonels took courage, and prepared to 
offer battle. Taras had already divined it by 
the noise and movement in the city, and 
hastened about, making his arrangements, form- 
ing the men into columns, giving orders and 
instructions. He ranged the kurens in three 
camps, surrounding them with the wagons 
in the form of bulwarks, — a form of battle in 
which the Zaporozhtzi were invincible ; he 
ordered two kurens into ambush ; he drove 
sharp stakes, broken guns, fragments of spears, 
into a part of the plain, with a view to forcing 
the enemy’s cavalry upon it if an opportunity 
should present itself. And when all was done 
which was necessary, he made a speech to the 
Cossacks, not for the purpose of encouraging 
and freshening up their spirits, —he knew their 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


209 


souls were strong without that, — but simply 
because he wished to tell them all he had 
upon his heart. 

I want to tell you, brother pani, what our 
brotherhood is. You have heard from your 
fathers and grandfathers in what honor our 
land has always been held by all. We made 
ourselves known to the Greeks, and we took 
gold from Constantinople, and our cities were 
luxurious, and the temples, and the princes, — 
the princes of the Russian people, our own 
princes, not Catholic unbelievers. But the 
Mussulmans took all ; all vanished, and we 
remained defenceless ; yea, like a widow after 
the death of a powerful husband : defenceless 
was our land as well as ourselves ! Such was 
the time, comrades, when we joined hands in 
a brotherhood : that is what our fellowship con- 
sists in. There is no more sacred brotherhood. 
The father loves his children, the mother loves 
her children, the children love their father and 
mother; but this is not like that, brothers. 


210 


TARAS BULBA. 


The wild beast also loves its young. But a 
man can be related only by similarity of mind, 
and not of blood. There have been brother- 
hoods in other lands, but never any such 
brotherhoods as on our Russian soil. It has 
happened to many of you, to be in foreign 
lands. You look: there are people there also, 
God's creatures too ; and you talk with them 
as with the men of your own country. But 
when it comes to saying a hearty word — you 
will see. No ! they are sensible people, but 
not the same ; the same kind of people, and 
yet not the same ! No, brothers, to love as 
the Russian soul loves, is to love not with 
the mind or any thing else, but with all that 
God has given, all that is within you. Ah ! " 
said Taras, and waved his hand, and wiped 
his gray head, and twitched his mustache, and 
then went on: ‘^No, no one can love in that 
way ! I know that baseness has now made 
its way into our land. Men care only to 
have ricks of grain and hay, and their droves 


TARAS BULBA. 


2II 


of horses, and that their mead may be sealed 
up in their cellars ; they adopt, the devil only 
knows what Mussulman customs. They speak 
scornfully with their tongues. They care not 
to speak their real thoughts with their own 
countrymen. They sell their own things to 
their own comrades, like soulless creatures on 
the market-place. The favor of a foreign king, 
and not even of a king, but the poor favor 
of a Polish magnate, who beats them on the 
mouth with his yellow shoe, is dearer to 
them than all brotherhood. But the very 
meanest of these vile men, whoever he may 
be, given over though he be to vileness and 
slavishness, even he, brothers, has some grains 
of Russian feeling ; and they will assert them- 
selves some day. And then the wretched man 
will beat his breast with his hands ; and he 
will seize his head, cursing his vile life loudly, 
and ready to expiate his disgraceful deeds with 
torture. Let them, know what brotherhood 
means on Russian soil ! And if it has come 


212 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


to the point when such a man must die, then 
it is not fit that any of them should die so. 
No ! none of them. It is not a fit thing for 
their mouse-like natures.’' 

Thus spoke the ataman ; and after he had 
finished his speech he still continued to shake 
his head, which had grown silver in Cossack 
affairs. All who stood there were deeply 
affected by this speech, which went to their 
very hearts. The oldest in the ranks stood 
motionless, their gray heads drooping; tears 
trickled quietly from their aged eyes ; they 
wiped them slowly away with their sleeves, and 
then all, as if with one consent, waved their 
hands in the air at the same moment, and 
shook their experienced heads. For it was 
evident that old Taras had reminded them of 
many of the best-known and finest points of 
the heart in a man who has become wise 
through suffering, toil, daring, and every 
earthly misfortune, or, though unknown to 
them, of many things felt by the young, pearly 


TARAS BULBA. 


213 


spirits, to the eternal joy of the aged parents 
who bore them. 

But the army of the enemy was already 
marching out of the city, thundering on drums 
and trumpets; and the pani, with their arms 
akimbo, rode out, surrounded by innumerable 
servants. The stout colonel gave the orders, 
and they began to advance briskly on the 
Cossack camps, threateningly aiming their 
matchlocks : their eyes flashed, and they were 
brilliant with brass armor. As soon as the 
Cossacks perceived that they had come within 
gunshot, their matchlocks thundered all to- 
gether, and they continued to fire without 
cessation. 

The heavy detonations resounded through 
the distant fields and meadows, merging into 
one continuous roar. The whole plain was 
shrouded in smoke, but the Zaporozhtzi con- 
tinued to fire without drawing breath : the rear 
ranks did nothing but load, and hand to those 
in front, creating amazement among the enemy. 


214 


TARAS BULBA, 


who could not understand how the Cossacks 
fired without loading their guns. Amid the 
dense smoke which enveloped both armies, it 
could not be seen how one and another dropped 
out of the ranks : but the Lyakhs felt that the 
balls flew thick, and that the affair was growing 
hot ; and when they retreated to escape from 
the smoke, and to take an observation, many 
were missing from their ranks, but only two or 
three out of a hundred were killed on the 
Cossack side. And still the Cossacks went on 
firing off their matchlocks without a moment's 
intermission. Even the foreign engineers were 
amazed at tactics heretofore unknown to them, 
and said then and there, in the presence of all. 
Those Zaporozhtzi are brave youths. That is 
the way others in other lands ought to fight.” 
And they advised that the cannons should at 
once be directed upon the camps. Heavily 
roared the iron cannons with their wide throats ; 
the earth hummed and trembled far and wide, 
and the smoke lay twice as heavy over the 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


2IS 


plain. They smelt the reek of the powder 
among the sq'uares and streets in the most dis- 
tant as well as the nearest quarters of the city. 
But those who aimed the cannons pointed 
them too high : the hot shot described too wide 
a curve ; screaming horribly, they flew over 
the heads of the camp, and buried themselves 
deep in the earth at a distance, tearing the 
ground, and throwing the black dirt high in 
the air. At the sight of such lack of skill, the 
PTench engineer tore his hair, and undertook 
to train the cannon himself, heeding not the 
Cossack bullets which burned and showered 
round him. 

Taras saw from afar that destruction men- 
aced the whole Nezamaikovsky and Steblikiv- 
sky kurens, and he gave a ringing shout, ‘‘Get 
away from the wagons instantly, and mount 
your horses ! ” But the Cossacks would not 
have succeeded in effecting both these move- 
ments if Ostap had not flown into the midst 
of them, and wrenched the lunts from six 


2i6 


TARAS BULBA, 


cannoneers. But he could not wrench them 
from the other four : the Lyakhs drove him 
back. Meanwhile the foreign captain had 
taken the lunt in his own hand, to fire off the 
largest cannon, such a cannon as none of the 
Cossacks had ever beheld before. It looked 
horrible with its wide mouth, and a thousand 
deaths poured from it. And' as it thundered, 
the three others followed, shaking in fourfold 
earthquake the dully responsive earth ; and 
much woe did they cause. For more than one 
Cossack wails the aged mother, beating with 
bony hands her feeble breast ; more than one 
widow is left in Glukhof, Nemirof, Chernigof, 
and other cities. The loving woman will hasten 
forth every day to the bazaar, grasping at all 
passers-by, scanning the face of each to see 
if there be not among them one dearer than 
all ; but many an army will pass through the 
city, but never among them will a single one 
of all their dearest be. 

And half the Nezamaikovsky kur^n was 


TARAS BULBA. 


217 


as if it had never been. As the hail suddenly 
beats down a field where every ear of grain 
shines like purest gold, so were they beaten 
down. 

How the Cossacks hastened thither ! How 
they all started up ! How raged the ataman 
of the kuren, Kukubenko, when he saw that 
the best half of his kuren was no more ! 
He fought his way with his remaining Neza- 
maikovtzi to the very middle of the fray, 
cut down in his wrath, like a cabbage, the 
first man he met, flung many a rider from 
his horse, piercing both horse and rider 
with his lance ; made his way to the gunners, 
and took a cannon ; but there he beholds the 
ataman of the Oumansky kuren, and Stepan 
Guska, hard at work, having already seized 
the chief cannon. He left those Cossacks 
there, and returned with his own to another 
group of the foe : and where the Nezamaikov- 
tzi went there was a street ; where they turned 
about, there was a square where streets meet. 


2i8 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


And the ranks were visibly thinning, and the 
Lyakhs falling in sheaves. And right beside 
the wagons was Vovtuzenko, and in front 
Tcherevitchenko, and by the more distant ones 
Degtyarenko ; and behind them the kuren ata- 
man, Vertikhvist. Degtyarenko had raised 
two Lyakhs on his spear, and now attacked 
the third, a stubborn fellow. Agile and strong 
was the Lyakh, with gorgeous equipments, and 
he was accompanied by fifty servants. He 
fell fiercely upon Degtyarenko, beat him to 
the ground, and, flourishing his sword above 
him, cried, ‘‘There is not one of you Cossack 
dogs who has dared to oppose me.*^ 

“ Here is one,” said Mosiy Schilo, and 
stepped forward. He was a muscular Cos- 
sack, who had often commanded at sea, and 
undergone many vicissitudes. The Turks 
had seized him and his men at Trebizond, 
and thrown them all, captives, into the gal- 
leys ; they bound them hand and foot with 
iron chains, gave them no food for a week at 


TARAS BULBA, 


219 


a time, and made them drink the repulsive 
sea-water. The poor prisoners bore and suf- 
fered all, but they would not renounce their 
orthodox faith. The ataman Mosiy Schilo 
could not bear it : he trampled the Holy 
Scriptures under foot, wound the vile turban 
about his sinful head, became the confidant 
of a pasha, steward of a ship, and ruler over 
all the slaves. The poor slaves sorrowed 
greatly thereat, for they knew that if he 
had renounced his faith he would be a ty- 
rant, and his hand would be the more heavy 
and severe upon them ; and so it turned out. 
Mosiy Schilo had them put in new chains, 
three in a row, and the cruel cords cut to 
the very bone; and he beat them upon the 
back of the neck. And when the Turks re- 
joiced at having obtained such a servant, and 
began to carouse, and, forgetful of their law, 
all got drunk, he distributed all the sixty-four 
keys among the prisoners, in order that they 
might free themselves, fling their chains and 


220 


TAjRAS BULBA. 


manacles into the sea, and, seizing their 
swords, in their turn kill the Turks. Then 
the Cossacks collected great booty, and re- 
turned with glory to their country j and the 
bandoura- players celebrated Mosiy Schilo’s 
exploits for a long time. They would have 
elected him koschevoi, but he was a very 
singular Cossack. At one time he would per- 
form some feat which the most sagacious 
would never have dreamed of : and at another, 
folly simply took possession of him ; he drank 
away and squandered every thing, was in 
debt to every one in the Setch, and, in addi- 
tion to that, stole like a street thief. He 
carried off a whole Cossack equipment from 
a strange kuren by night, and pawned it to 
the pot-house keeper. For this dishonorable 
act they bound him to a post in the bazaar, 
and laid a club beside him, in order that every 
one, according to the measure of his strength, 
might deal him a blow. But there was not 
one Zaporozhetz out of them all to be found. 


TARAS BULBA, 


221 


who would raise the club against him, remem- 
bering his former services. Such was the 
Cossack Mosiy Schilo. 

*^Here are some who will kill you, dog!*^ he 
said, springing upon him. And how they 
hacked away ! their shoulder-plates and breast- 
plates bent under their blows. The hostile 
Lyakh cut through his shirt of mail, reaching 
the body itself with his blade ; the Cossack's 
shirt was dyed purple : but Schilo heeded it 
not, flourished his muscular hand (heavy was 
that mighty fist), and brought it down unex- 
pectedly upon his head. The brazen helmet 
flew into pieces, the Lyakh wavered and fell ; 
but Schilo went on hacking and cutting crosses 
upon the stunned man. Kill not utterly thine 
enemy, Cossack : turn back rather ! The Cos- 
sack turned not, and one of the dead man’s 
servants plunged a knife into his neck. Schilo 
turned, and tried to seize the daring man, but 
he disappeared amid the smoke of the powder. 
On all sides rose the clash of matchlocks. 


222 


TARAS BULBA. 


Schilo fell, and knew that his wound was mor- 
tal. He fell, with his hand upon his wound, 
and said, turning to his comrades, ‘‘ Farewell, 
brother pani, my comrades ! may the holy 
Russian land stand forever, and may it have 
eternal honor ! '' And as he closed his failing 
eyes, the Cossack soul fled from the grim 
body. And then Zadorozhniy came forward 
with his men, Vertikhvist broke the ranks, and 
Balaban stepped forth. 

What now, pani } '' said Taras, calling to 
the atamans by name : ‘‘ there is yet powder in 
the powder-flasks } The Cossack force is not 
weakened } the Cossacks do not yield } ” 

There is yet powder in the flasks, batko ; 
the Cossack force is not weakened yet : the 
Cossacks yield not ! ** 

And the Cossacks pressed vigorously on : 
the ranks were all in confusion. The short 
colonel beat the assembly, and ordered eight 
painted standards to be hung out to collect 
his men, who were scattered over all the plain. 


TARAS BULBA. 


223 


All the Lyakhs hastened to the standards. 
B,ut they had not succeeded in ranging them- 
selves in order, when the ataman Kukubenko 
attacked again with his Nezamaikovtzi, in their 
centre, and fell straight upon the big-bellied 
colonel. The colonel could not resist the at- 
tack, and, wheeling his horse about, set out at 
a gallop ; but Kukubenko pursued him for a 
long distance, all over the plain, and prevented 
him from joining his regiment. 

Perceiving this from the kuren on the flank, 
Stepan Guska set out after him, lasso in hand, 
bending his head to his horse’s neck, and 
taking advantage of an opportunity, with one 
fling he cast his lasso about his neck : the colo- 
nel turned purple in the face, grasped the cord 
with both hands, and tried to break it ; but a 
powerful blow drove the lance through his 
body, and there he remained pinned to the 
earth. But Guska did not escape his turn. 
The Cossacks had but time to look round when 
they beheld Stepan Guska elevated on four 


224 


tArAS BULBA, 


spears. All the poor fellow succeeded in say- 
ing was, ‘‘ May all our enemies perish, and 
may the Russian land rejoice forever!'' and 
then he gave up his spirit. 

The Cossacks glanced around, and there was 
Cossack Metelitza on one side, entertaining the 
Lyakhs, dealing blows on the head to one and 
another ; and on the other side, ataman Neve- 
litchkiy was attacking with his men ; and Za- 
krutibuga was turning and killing the enemy 
by the wagons ; and the third Pisarenko had 
repulsed a whole squadron from the more dis- 
tant wagons ; and they were still fighting and 
killing at the other wagons, and even upon 
them. 

‘‘ How now, pani ? " cried ataman Taras, 
stepping forward before them all : ‘‘ is there 
still powder in your flasks ? Is the Cossack 
force still strong ? do the Cossacks yield ? " 

‘‘ There is still powder in the flasks, batko ; 
the Cossack force is still strong : the Cossacks 
yield not ! " 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


225 


But Bovdug had already fallen from the 
wagons ; a bullet had struck him straight under 
the heart. The old man collected all his 
strength, and said, I sorrov\^ not to part from 
the world. God grant every man such an end ! 
May the Russian land be forever glorious ! 
And Bovdug's spirit flew above, to tell the old 
men who had gone on long before, that men 
still knew how to fight on Russian soil, and, 
better still, that they knew how to die for it 
and the holy faith. 

Balaban, ataman of a kuren, soon after fell 
to the ground also from a wagon. Three 
mortal wounds had he received from a lance, 
a bullet, and a sword. He had been one of 
the very best of Cossacks, and had accom- 
plished a great deal in his expeditions on the 
sea as commander ; but more glorious than all 
the rest was his expedition to the shores of 
Anatolia. They collected many sequins, many 
valuable Turkish articles, caftans, and adorn- 
ments of every description. But misfortune 


226 TAIRAS BULBA, 

awaited them on their way back : they ran 
across the Turkish fleet, so they were fired on 
from the ships ; half the boats were crushed 
and overturned, drowning more than one ; but 
the reeds bound to the sides saved the boats 
from sinking. Balaban rowed off at full speed, 
and stood straight in the face of the sun, thus 
rendering himself invisible to the Turkish ship. 
All the following night they spent in baling 
out the water with pails and their caps, and in 
repairing the damaged places. They cut sails 
from their Cossack trousers, and, sailing off, 
escaped from the fastest Turkish vessel. And 
not only did they arrive unharmed in the 
Setch, but they brought a gold - embroidered 
vesture to the archimandrite of the Mezhigor- 
sky Monastery in Kief, and for the church in 
honor of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, 
which is in Zaporozhe, an ikon frame of pure 
silver. And the bandoura-players celebrated 
the daring of the Cossacks for a long time 
afterwards. Now he bowed his head, feeling 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


227 


the pains which precede death, and said 
quietly, I am permitted, brother pani, to die 
a fine death. Seven have I hewed in pieces, 
nine have I transfixed with my lance, and 
many have I trampled upon with my horse's 
hoofs ; and I no longer remember how many 
my bullets killed. May our Russian land flour- 
ish forever ! " and his spirit fled. 

Cossacks, Cossacks ! surrender not the flower 
of your army. Already was Kukubenko sur- 
rounded, and seven men only remained of all 
the Nezamaikovsky kuren, and they had de- 
fended themselves beyond their strength ; their 
garments were already stained with blood. 
Taras himself, perceiving his straits, hastened 
to his rescue ; but the Cossacks arrived too 
late. Before the enemies who surrounded him 
could be driven off, a spear was buried just 
below his heart. Quietly he sank into the 
arms of the Cossacks who grasped him, and his 
young blood flowed in a stream, like precious 
wine brought from the cellar in a glass vessel 


228 


TARAS BULBA. 


by careless servants, who, stumbling at the 
entrance, break the rich flask : the wine pours 
over the ground, and the master, hastening up, 
tears his hair, having reserved it for the best 
occasion of his life, in order that if God should 
grant him, in his old age, to meet again the 
comrade of his youth, they might recall to- 
gether former days, when a man revelled other- 
wise and better than now. Kukubenko turned 
his eyes about, and said, ‘‘I thank God that 
it has been my lot to die before your eyes, 
comrades. May they live better after us than 
we have lived ; and may our Russian land, be- 
loved by Christ, flourish forever ! ” and his 
young spirit fled. The angels took it in their 
arms, and bore it to heaven : it will be well 
with him there. Sit down at my right hand, 
Kukubenko,*' Christ will say to him: ‘‘you 
never betrayed your comrades, you never com- 
mitted a dishonorable act, you never sold a man 
into misery, you preserved and defended my 
church." The death of Kukubenko saddened 


TARAS Bl/LBA. 


229 


them all. The Cossack ranks were terribly 
thinned. Many brave men were missing, but 
the Cossacks still stood their ground. 

** How now, pani 1 cried Taras to the 
remaining kurens : ** is there still powder in 
your flasks } Are your swords dulled 1 Are the 
Cossack forces wearied Have the Cossacks 
given way } ” 

“ There is still an abundance of powder ; our 
swords are still sharp : the Cossack forces are 
not wearied, and the Cossacks have not yet 
yielded.’’ 

And the Cossacks again strained every nerve, 
as though they had suffered no loss. Only 
three kur^n atamans still remained alive. 
The red blood flowed in streams everywhere ; 
bridges of their bodies and of those of the 
enemy were piled high. Taras looked up to 
heaven, and there already stretched a flock of 
vultures. Well, there will be booty for some 
one. And there they were raising Metelitza 
on their lances, and the head of the second 


230 


TARAS BULBA. 


Pisarenko was dizzily opening and shutting its 
eyes ; and the mangled body of Okhrim 
Guska broke apart, and fell upon the ground 
in four pieces. Now,'’ said Taras, and waved 
a cloth. Ostap understood this signal, and 
springing quickly from his ambush attacked 
sharply. The Lyakhs could not withstand this 
onslaught ; and he drove them back, and chased 
them straight to the spot where the stakes and 
fragments of spears were driven into the earth. 
The horses began to stumble and fall, and the 
Lyakhs to fly over their heads. At that moment 
the Korsuntzi, who had remained till the last 
by the transports, perceived that they still had 
some bullets left, and suddenly fired off their 
matchlocks. The Lyakhs all became confused, 
and lost their presence of mind ; and the 
Cossacks took courage. ‘‘Here is our vic- 
tory ! " rang Cossack voices on all sides ; the 
trumpets sounded, and the banner of victory 
was unfurled. The beaten Lyakhs ran in all 
directions, and hid themselves. “No, the 


TARAS BULBA. 


231 


victory is not yet complete/’ said Taras, glan- 
cing at the city gate ; and he was right. 

The gates opened, and out flew a hussar 
regiment, the flower of all the cavalry. Every 
rider was mounted on a matched brown horse 
from the Kabardei ; in front rode the handsom- 
est, the most heroic, of them all ; his black hair 
streamed from under his brazen helmet ; from 
his arm floated a rich scarf, embroidered by 
the hands of a peerless beauty. Taras sprang 
back in horror when he saw that it was Andrfl. 
And he meanwhile, enveloped in the dust and 
heat of battle, anxious to deserve the scarf 
which had been bound as a gift upon his arm, 
flew on like a greyhound ; the handsomest, 
most agile, and youngest of all the band. The 
experienced huntsman urges on the greyhound, 
and he springs forward, his legs cutting a 
straight line in the air, his body all on one 
side, tossing up the snow, and a score of times 
outrunning the hare, in the ardor of his course. 
And just like this was Andrii. Old Taras 


232 


TARAS BULBA, 


paused and observed how he cleared a path be- 
fore him, pursued, hewed away and distributed 
blows to the right and the left. Taras could 
not restrain himself, but shouted, “How! your 
comrades 1 your comrades ! you devil's brat, do 
you kill your own comrades } " But Andrii dis- 
tinguished not who stood before him, his com- 
rades or strangers : he saw nothing. Curls, 
curls, long, long curls, were what he saw ; and a 
bosom like that of a river swan, and a snowy 
neck and shoulders, and all that is created for 
wild kisses. 

“ Hey there, lads ! only draw him to the for- 
est, entice him to the forest for me ! " shouted 
Taras. And instantly thirty of the smartest 
Cossacks volunteered to entice him thither; 
and settling their tall caps firmly, they spurred 
their horses straight at a gap in the hussars. 
They attacked the front ranks from the flank, 
beat them down, separated them from the rear 
ranks, despatched one and another; but Golo- 
puitenko struck Andrii on the back with his 


TARAS BULBA. 


233 


sword, and then immediately set out to ride 
away from them, at the top of his speed. How 
Andn'i flew ! How his young blood coursed 
through all his veins ! Driving his sharp spurs 
into his horse’s flanks, he flew after the Cos- 
sacks, never glancing back, and perceiving not 
that only twenty men at the most were follow- 
ing him ; but the Cossacks fled at full gallop, 
and directed their course straight for the forest. 
Andn'i overtook them, and was on the point of 
catching Golopuitenko, when a powerful hand 
seized his horse’s bridle. Andn'i looked : be- 
fore him stood Taras ! He trembled all over, 
and turned suddenly pale, like a student who 
has beaten his comrade excessively, and receiv- 
ing in consequence a blow on the forehead with 
a ruler, flushes up like fire, springs in wrath 
from his seat, to chase his frightened comrade, 
and suddenly encounters his teacher entering 
the classroom : in an instant his wrathful im- 
pulse calms down, and his futile anger vanishes. 
In this wise, in one instant, Andrfi’s wrath was 


234 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


as if it had never existed. And he beheld 
before him only his terrible father. 

Well, what are we going to do now } said 
Taras, looking him straight in the eye. But 
Andrii could make no reply to this, and stood 
with his eyes fixed on the ground. 

Well, little son ! Did your Lyakhs help 
you.?” 

Andrii made no answer. 

‘‘To think that you should be such a traitor! 
that you should betray your faith ! betray your 
comrades ! Stop, dismount from your horse ! ” 

Obedient as a child, he dismounted, and 
stood before Taras more dead than alive. 

“ Stand still, do not move ! I gave you life, 
I will also kill you I ” said Taras, and, retreat- 
ing a step backwards, he brought his gun up to 
his shoulder. Andrii was white as linen : his 
mouth moved gently, and he uttered a name ; 
but it was not the name of his native land, or 
of his mother, or his brother : it was the name 
of the beautiful Pole. Taras fired. 


TARAS BULBA. 


235 


Like the ear of corn cut down by the reap- 
ing-hook, like the young Iamb when it feels 
the deadly steel in its heart, he hung his 
head, and rolled upon the grass without utter- 
ing a word. 

The murderer of his son stood still, and 
gazed long upon the lifeless body. Even in 
death he was very handsome : his manly face, 
so short a time ago filled with power, and 
an irresistible charm for every woman, still 
breathed a marvellous beauty ; his black brows, 
like sombre velvet, set off his pale features. 

‘‘ Is he . not a genuine Cossack } ’’ said Taras ; 
‘‘ he is tall of stature, and black-browed, and 
his face is that of a nobleman, and his hand 
was strong in battle ! He is fallen ! fallen 
without glory, like a vile dog ! 

“Father, what have you done.^ Was it you 
who killed him } '' said Ostap, coming up at 
this moment. 

Taras nodded. 

Ostap gazed intently at the dead man. He 


236 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


was sorry for his brother, and said at once, 
‘^Let us give him an honorable burial, batko, 
that the foe may not dishonor his body, nor the 
birds of prey rend it.” 

‘‘They will bury him without our help,” 
said Taras : “there will be plenty of mourners 
and rejoicers for him.” 

And he reflected for a couple of minutes : 
should he fling him to the wolves for prey, 
or respect in him the knightly bravery which 
every brave man is bound to honor in another, 
no matter whom } Then he saw Golopuitenko 
galloping towards them on his horse : “ Woe, 
ataman! the Lyakhs have been re-enforced, a 
fresh force has come to their rescue ! ” Golo- 
puitenko had not finished speaking when Vov- 
tuzenko galloped up : “ Wjoe, ataman I a fresh 
force is bearing down upon us ! 

Vovtuzenko had not finished speaking, when 
Pisarenko rushed up without his horse : 
“ Where are you, batko } The Cossacks are 
seeking for you. Ataman Nevelitchkiy is 


TARAS BULBA, 


237 


killed, Zadorozhniy is killed, and Tcherevitch- 
enko : but the Cossacks stand their ground ; 
they will not die without looking in your eyes ; 
they want you to gaze upon them once more 

before the hour of death arrives/* 

✓ 

‘^To horse, Ostap ! ** said Taras, and hastened 
to find his Cossacks, to look once more upon 
them, and let them behold their ataman once 
more before the hour of death. But they 
had not emerged from the wood, when the 
enemy’s force had already surrounded it on 
all sides, and horsemen armed with swords 
and spears appeared everywhere between the 
trees. ‘‘ Ostap, Ostap ! don’t surrender ! ” 
shouted Taras, and grasping his naked sword 
he began to cut down all he encountered on 
every side. But six suddenly sprang upon 
Ostap. They did it in an unpropitious hour : 
the head of one flew off, another turned to flee, 
a spear pierced the ribs of a third ; a fourth, 
more bold, bent his head to escape from the 
bullet, and the bullet struck his horse’s breast ; 


238 


TARAS BULBA. 


the maddened animal reared, fell back upon the 
earth, and crushed his rider under him. Well 
done, my little son ! Well done, Ostap ! '' cried 
Taras : I am following you.'' And he shook 
off those who attacked him. Taras hewed 
and fought, dealt blows upon the heads of one 
after another, still keeping his eye upon Ostap 
ahead ; and he sees that eight more are fall- 
ing upon Ostap. Ostap, Ostap ! don't sur- 
render ! " But they had already overpowered 
Ostap ; one had flung his lasso about his neck, 
and they had bound him, and were carrying 
him away. ‘‘ Hey, Ostap, Ostap ! " shouted 
Taras, forcing his way to him, cutting men 
down like cabbages to right and left. “Hey, 
Ostap, Ostap ! " But something struck him 
like a heavy stone at that moment. All grew 
dim -and confused before his eyes. In one mo- 
ment there flashed confusedly before him heads, 
spears, smoke, the gleam of fire, tree-stumps, 
and leaves ; and he sank heavily to the earth 
like a felled oak, and darkness covered his eyes. 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


239 


X. 

HAVE slept long! said Taras, coming to 
his senses, as if after a heavy drunken sleep, 
and trying to distinguish the objects about 
him. A terrible weakness overpowered his 
limbs. The walls and corners of a strange 
room appeared dimly before him. At length 
he perceived that Tovkatch was seated before 
him, apparently listening to his every breath. 

‘‘Yes,” thought Tovkatch, “you might have 
slept forever.” But he said nothing, shook 
his finger, and motioned him to be silent. 

“ But tell me where I am now } ” asked 
Taras again, straining his mind, and trying 
to recollect what had taken place. 

“ Be silent ! ” cried his companion sternly. 
“Why should you want to know.^ Don't 
you see that you are all hacked to pieces } 
Here I have been galloping with you for two 


240 


TARAS BULBA. 


weeks without taking breath; and you have 
been burning up with fever, and talking non- 
sense. This is the first time you have slept 
quietly. Be silent if you don’t wish to do 
yourself an injury.” 

But Taras still strove, and tried to collect 
his thoughts, and to recall what had passed. 

Well, the Lyakhs must have surrounded and 
captured me. I had no chance to fight my- 
self free from the throng.” 

‘'Be silent, I tell you, you devil’s brat!” 
cried Tovkatch angrily, as a nurse, driven 
beyond her patience, cries out at her unruly 
young charge. " What good will it do you 
to know how you got away ? It is enough 
that you did get away. Some people were 
found who did not give you up : now let 
that be enough for you. It is something for 
me to have ridden all night with you. You 
think that you passed for a common Cossack ? 
No, they have offered a reward of two thou- 
sand ducats for your head.” 


TARAS BULBA, 


^41 


‘‘And Ostap!’' cried Taras suddenly, and 
tried to rise ; for all at once he recollected 
that Ostap had been seized and bound before 
his very eyes, and that he was now in the 
hands of the Lyakhs. And grief overpowered 
his aged head. He pulled off and tore in 
pieces the bandages from his wounds ; he 
threw them far from him ; he tried to say 
something aloud, and uttered something in- 
coherent. Fever and delirium seized upon 
him afresh, and he uttered foolish and inco- 
herent speeches. Meanwhile his faithful com- 
rade stood before him, scolding and showering 
harsh, reproachful words upon him without 
stint. Finally he seized him by the arms and 
legs, covered him up like a child, arranged all 
his bandages, rolled him up in an ox-hide, 
bound him with bast, and, fastening him with 
ropes to his saddle, rode with him again at 
full speed along the road. 

“ ril get you there, even if it is not alive ! 
I will not abandon you for the Lyakhs to make 


242 


TARAS BULBA. 


merry over your Cossack race, and cut your 
body in twain, and fling it into the water. Let 
the eagle tear out your eyes if it must be so ; 
but let it be our eagle of the steppe, and not 
a Polish eagle, not one which has flown hither 
from Polish soil. I will bring you, though it 
be a corpse, to the Ukraine ! 

Thus spoke his faithful companion. He 
rode, without drawing breath, day and night, 
and brought him insensible into Zaporozhian 
Setch itself. There he undertook to cure him, 
with unswerving care, with herbs and lini- 
ments. He sought out a skilful Jewess : she 
made Taras drink various potions for a whole 
month, and at length he improved. Whether 
it was owing to the medicine, or to his iron 
constitution gaining the upper hand, at all 
events, in six weeks he was on his feet ; his 
wounds had closed, and only the scars of the 
sabre-cuts showed how deeply injured the old 
Cossack had been. But he was markedly sad 
and morose. Three deep wrinkles engraved 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


243 


themselves upon his brow, and never more 
departed thence. Then he looked about him : 
all was new in the Setch ; all his old compan- 
ions were dead. Not one was left of those 
who had stood up for the right, for faith and 
brotherhood. And those who had gone forth 
with the koschevoi in pursuit of the Tatars, 
they also had long since disappeared. All 
had lost their heads: all had perished. One 
had lost his honest head in battle ; another had 
died for lack of bread and water, amid the 
salt marshes of the Crimea ; another had fallen 
in captivity, unable to survive the disgrace ; 
and their former koschevoi was no longer 
living, nor any of his old companions, and the 
grass was growing over those once alert with 
Cossack power. He only heard that there 
had been a feast, a noisy, great feast. All the 
dishes had been smashed in pieces ; not a 
drop of wine was left anywhere ; the guests 
and servants had all stolen valuable cups and 
platters ; and the master of the house stood 


244 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


sadly thinking that it would have been better 
if there had been no feast. In vain did they 
try to cheer Taras, and to divert his mind ; 
in vain did the long-bearded, gray-haired ban- 
doura-players come by twos and threes to 
glorify his Cossack deeds. He gazed grimly 
and indifferently at every thing, and on his 
stolid face unquenchable sorrow stood forth ; 
and he said softly, as he drooped his head. 
My son, my Ostap ! 

The Zaporozhtzi assembled for an expe- 
dition by sea. Two hundred boats were 
launched on the Dniepr, and Asia Minor saw 
them, with their shaven heads and long scalp- 
locks, devote her thriving shores to fire and 
sword ; she saw the turbans of her Mahome- 
tan inhabitants strewn, like her innumerable 
flowers, over the blood-besprinkled fields, and 
floating along her banks ; she saw many tarry 
Zaporozhian trousers, and muscular hands with 
black hunting-whips. The Zaporozhtzi ate up 
and laid waste all their vineyard. In the 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


245 


mosques they left heaps of dung. They used 
rich Persian shawls instead of suspenders, and 
girded their dirty svitkas- with , them. Long 
afterwards, short Zaporozhian pipes were found 
in those regions. They sailed merrily back. 
A ten-gun Turkish ship pursued them, and 
scattered their skiffs, like dainty birds, with a 
volley from all its guns. A third part of them 
sank in the depths of the sea; but the rest 
again assembled, and gained the mouth of the 
Dniepr with twelve kegs full of sequins. But 
all this did not interest Taras. He went off 
upon the fields and the steppe as though to 
hunt ; but the charge remained in his gun un- 
fired, and, laying down the weapon, he would 
seat himself sadly on the shores of the sea. 
He sat there long with drooping head, repeat- 
ing continually, My Ostap, my Ostap!'’ Be- 
fore him spread the gleaming Black Sea ; in 
the distant reeds the sea-gull screamed. His 
gray mustache turned to silver, and the tears 
fell one by one. 


246 


TARAS BULBA. 


And at last Taras could endure it no longer. 
“Whatever happens, I must go and find out 
what he is doing. Is he alive, or in the grave ? 
or is he not yet in the grave } I will know, 
cost what it may ! And within a week he 
found himself in the city of Ouman, fully armed, 
mounted, with lance, sword, a travelling cask at 
his saddle-bow, his pot of oatmeal, his powder- 
horn, cord to hobble his horse, and other equip- 
ments. He went straight to a dirty, ill-kept 
little house, whose tiny windows were almost 
invisible, blackened as they were with some 
unknown dirt ; the chimney was wrapped in 
rags ; and the roof, which was full of holes, 
was covered with sparrows. A heap of all 
sorts of refuse lay before the very door. From 
the window peered the head of a Jewess, in a 
headdress with discolored pearls. 

“ Is your husband at home ? said Bulba, 
dismounting, and fastening his horse’s bridle 
to an iron hook beside the door. 

“ He is at home,” said the Jewess, and has- 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


247 


tened out at once with a measure of grain for 
the horse, and a stoup of beer for the rider. 
Where is your Jew?** 

He is in the other room at prayer,** replied 
the Jewess, bowing and wishing Bulba good 
health as he raised the cup to his lips. 

** Remain here, feed and water my horse, and 
I will go speak with him alone. I have busi- 
ness with him.** 

This Jew was the well-known Yankel. He 
was there as revenue-farmer and pot-house 
keeper. He had gradually got nearly all the 
neighboring noblemen and gentlemen into his 
hands, had slowly sucked away most of their 
money, and strongly marked his presence in 
that locality. For a distance of three miles in 
all directions, not a single izba remained in a 
proper state. All were falling in ruins ; all 
had been drunk away, and poverty and rags 
alone remained. The whole neighborhood was 
depopulated, as if after a fire or an epidemic ; 
and if Yankel had lived there ten years, he 


248 


TARAS BULBA. 


would probably have depopulated the Voevod’s 
whole domains. 

Taras entered the room. The Jew was pray- 
ing, enveloped in his dirty shroud, and was 
turning to spit for the last time, according to 
the forms of his creed, when his eye suddenly 
lighted on Taras standing behind him. And 
the first thing of all which struck the Jew’s eye 
was the two thousand ducats offered for his 
head ; but he was ashamed of his avarice, and 
tried to stifle within him the eternal thought 
of gold, which twines, like a snake, about the 
soul of a Jew. 

“Listen, Yankel,” said Taras to the Jew, 
who began to bow low before him, and he shut 
the door so that they might not be seen. “ I 
saved your life : the Zaporozhtzi would have 
torn you in pieces like a dog. Now it is your 
turn to do me a service.” 

The Jew’s face clouded over a little. 

“What service.^ If it is a service I can 
render, why not render it ? ” 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


249 


‘^Say nothing. Take me to Warsaw.” 

‘‘To Warsaw.^ Why to Warsaw ” said the 
Jew, and his brows and shoulders rose in 
amazement. 

“ Say nothing to me. Take me to Warsaw. 
I must see him once more at any cost, and 
say one word to him.” 

“ Say a word to whom } ” 

“To him — to Ostap — to my son.” 

“Has not the pan heard that already” — 

“ I know, I know all. They offer two thou- 
sand ducats for my head. They know its value, 
fools ! I will give you five thousand. Here 
are two thousand on the spot ” (Bulba poured 
out two thousand ducats from a leather purse), 
“and the rest when I return.” 

The Jew instantly seized a towel, and con- 
cealed the ducats under it. “ Ai, glorious 
money ! ai, good money ! ” he said, twirling 
one gold piece in his hand, and testing it with 
his teeth. “I don't believe the man from 
whom the pan stole these fine gold pieces re- 


250 


TARAS BULBA. 


mained in the world an hour longer ; he went 
straight to the river, and drowned himself, after 
the loss of such magnificent gold pieces.” 

I should not have asked you. I might pos- 
sibly have found my own way to Warsaw ; but 
some one might recognize me, and then the 
cursed Lyakhs would have captured me, for I 
am not clever at inventions; but that is just 
what you Jews are created for. You would 
deceive the very devil. You know all the 
tricks : that is why I have come to you ; and, 
besides, I could get nothing myself in Warsaw. 
Harness up your wagon at once, and take 
me. 

‘‘And the pan thinks that I can take the 
nag out of hand so, and harness him, and, ‘Get 
up, Dapple ! ’ The pan thinks that I can take 
the pan just as he is, without concealing him?” 

“ Well, hide me, hide me as you like : in a 
powder-cask ? ” 

“ Ai, ai ! and the pan thinks he can be con- 
cealed in a powder-cask? Does not the pan 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


251 


know that every man thinks that every cask 
contains brandy ? 

Well, let them think it is brandy.” 

‘‘What! let them think it is brandy?” 
said the Jew, and grasped his ear-locks with 
both hands, and then raised them both on 
high. 

“Well, why are you so frightened?” 

“ And does not the pan know that God has 
made brandy expressly for every one to taste ? 
They are all gluttons and fond of dainties 
there : a nobleman will run five versts after a 
cask ; he will make a hole, and as soon as he 
sees that nothing runs out he will say, ‘ The 
Jew is not bringing powder-casks ; there is cer- 
tainly something wrong. Seize the Jew, bind 
the Jew, take away all the Jew’s money, put 
the Jew in prison ! ’ Then all the vile people 
will fall upon the Jew, for every one takes a 
Jew for a dog ; and they think he is not a man, 
but only a Jew. ” 

“Then lay me in the wagon with fish/’ 


252 


TARAS BULBA. 


cannot, pan, by heaven, I cannot: all 
over Poland the people are as hungry as 
dogs now. They will steal the fish, and feel 
the pan.’' 

Then take me in the fiend’s way, only take 
me.” 

'^Listen, listen, pan!” said the Jew, strip- 
ping up the borders of his sleeves, and ap- 
proaching him with extended arms. This is 
what we will do. They are building fortresses 
and castles everywhere: French engineers 
have come from Germany, and so a great deal 
of brick and stone is being carried over the 
roads. Let the pan lie down in the bottom of 
the wagon, and over him I will pile bricks. 
The pan is strong and well, apparently, so he 
will not mind if it is a little heavy ; and I will 
make a hole in the bottom of the wagon, in 
order to feed the pan.” 

‘'Do what you will, only take me!” 

And in an hour the wagon-load of bricks left 
Ouman, drawn by two sorry nags. On one of 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


253 


them sat tall Yankel ; and his long, curling ear- 
locks flowed from beneath his Jewish felt cap, 
as he bounced about on the horse, like a verst- 
mark planted by the roadside. 


254 


TARAS BULBA, 


XI. 

At the time when the above incidents took 
place, there were as yet on the boundaries no 
custom-house ofBcials and guards, — those bug- 
bears of enterprising people, — so that any one 
could bring across any thing which he fancied. 
If any one made any search or inspection, he 
did it chiefly for his own pleasure, especially if 
there happened to be in the wagon objects 
attractive to the eye, and if his own hand pos- 
sessed a certain weight and power. But the 
bricks found no admirers, and they entered the 
principal gate unmolested. Bulba, in his nar- 
row cage, could only hear the noise, the shouts 
of the driver, and nothing more. Yankel, 
bouncing away on his short, dust-covered 
trotter, turned, after making several detours^ 
into a dark, narrow street bearing the names 


TARAS BULBA, 


2SS 


of the Muddy, and also of the Jews* Street, 
because, in fact, Jews from nearly every part 
of Warsaw were to be found here. This street 
greatly resembled a back-yard turned wrong 
side out. The sun appeared never to come 
there. The totally black wooden houses, with 
numerous poles projecting from the windows, 
still further increased the darkness. Rarely 
did a brick wall gleam red among them ; for 
it also, in many places, had turned quite black. 
Here and there, high up, a bit of stuccoed 
wall illumined by the sun shone with intoler- 
able whiteness. Every thing there struck the 
senses sharply ; pipes, rags, shells, broken and 
discarded tubs : every one flung whatever was 
^ useless to him into the street, thus affording 
the passer-by an opportunity to nourish all his 
senses with the rubbish. A man on horseback 
could almost touch with his hand the poles 
thrown across the street from one house to 
another, upon which hung Jewish stockings, 
short trousers, and smoked geese. Sometimes 


256 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


a very pretty little Hebrew face adorned with 
discolored pearls peeped out of an ancient win- 
dow. A group of little Jews, with torn and 
dirty garments and curly hair, screamed and 
rolled about in the dirt. A red-haired Jew 
with freckles all over his face, which made him 
look like a sparrow's egg, gazed from a window. 
He addressed Yankel at once in his gibberish, 
and Yankel immediately drove into a court- 
yard. Another Jew came along, halted, and 
entered into conversation. When Bulba finally 
emerged from beneath the bricks, he beheld 
three Jews talking with great heat. 

Yankel turned to him, and said that every 
thing would be done ; that his Ostap was in 
the city jail, and, although it would be difficult 
to persuade the jailer, yet he hoped to arrange 
a meeting. 

Bulba entered the room with the three Jews. 

The Jews again began to talk among 
themselves, in their incomprehensible tongue. 
Taras looked well at each of them. Something 


TARAS BULBA, 


257 


seemed to have moved him deeply; on his 
rough and stolid countenance, a consuming 
flame of hope flashed up, of hope such as 
sometimes visits a man in the last depths of 
despair ; his aged heart began to beat violently, 
as though he had been a youth. 

^‘Listen, Jews!'' said he, and there was a 
triumphant ring in his words. *‘You can do 
any thing in the world, even extract things 
from the bottom of the sea; and it has long 
been a proverb, that a Jew will steal from him- 
self if he takes a fancy to steal. Set my 
Ostap at liberty ! give him a chance to escape 
from their diabolical hands. I promised this 
man five thousand ducats ; I add another five 
thousand : all that I have, rich cups, buried 
gold, houses, all, even to my last garment, I 
will sell ; and I will enter into a contract with 
you for my whole life, to give you half of all 
the booty I may win in war." 

‘‘ Oh, impossible, dear pan, it is impossible 1 " 
said Yankel with a sigh. 


2S8 


TARAS BULBA. 


‘‘No, impossible, said another Jew. 

All three Jews looked at each other. 

“We might try,” said the third, glancing 
timidly at the other two. “God may favor 
us.” 

All three Jews discussed the matter in Ger- 
man. Bulba, in spite of all his straining his 
ears, could make nothing of it : he only caught 
the word Mardokhai often repeated. 

“Listen, pan!” said Yankel. “We must 
consult with a man such as there never was 
before in the world . . . ugh, ugh ! as wise as 
Solomon; and if he will do nothing, then no 
one in all the world can. Sit here : this is the 
key; admit no one.” The Jews went out into 
the street. 

Taras locked the door, and gazed from the 
little window upon the dirty Jewish prospect. 
The three Jews halted in the middle of the 
street, and began to talk with a good deal of 
warmth : a fourth soon joined them, and finally 
a fifth. Again he heard repeated, Mardokhai, 


TARAS BULBA. 


259 


Mardokhai ! The Jews glanced incessantly at 
one side of the street ; at length at the end 
of it there emerged from behind a dirty house, 
a foot in a Jewish shoe, and the skirts of a 
half-caftan fluttered. ‘'Ah! Mardokhai, Mardo- 
khai ! '' shouted the Jews with one voice. A 
thin Jew somewhat shorter than Yankel, but 
even more wrinkled, and with a huge upper lip, 
approached the impatient group ; and all the 
Jews made haste, even interrupting each other, 
to talk to him. During the recital, Mardokhai 
glanced several times towards the little win- 
dow, and Taras divined that the conversation 
concerned him. 

Mardokhai waved his hands, listened, inter- 
rupted, spit frequently to one side, and, pulling 
up the skirts of his half-caftan, thrust his 
hand into his pocket, and drew out some 
jingling thing, showing his very dirty trousers 
in the operation. Finally all the Jews set up 
such a shout, that the Jew who was standing 
guard was forced to make a signal for silence. 


26 o 


TARAS BULBA, 


and Taras began to fear for his safety; but 
when he remembered that Jews can only con- 
sult in the street, and that the demon himself 
cannot understand their language, he regained 
his composure. 

Two minutes later the Jews all entered the 
room together. Mardokhai approached Taras, 
tapped him on the shoulder, and said, “ When 
we wish to act, then it will be as it is neces- 
sary.*' Taras looked at this Solomon such as 
the world had never known, and conceived 
some hope : in fact, his face might well inspire 
confidence. His upper lip was simply an ob- 
ject of horror ; its thickness was doubtless in- 
creased by adventitious circumstances. This 
Solomon's beard consisted only of about fifteen 
hairs, and they were on the left side. Solo- 
mon's face bore so many scars of battle, 
received for his daring, that he had doubtless 
lost count of them long before, and had grown 
accustomed to considering them as birthmarks. 

Mardokhai departed, accompanied by his 


TARAS BULBA. 


261 

comrades, who were filled with admiration at his 
wisdom. Bulba remained alone. He was in a 
strange, unaccustomed situation ; he felt un- 
easy, for the first time in his life. His soul was 
in a state of fever. He was no longer unbend- 
ing, immovable, strong as an oak, as he had 
formerly been : he was timid ; he was weak. 
He trembled at every sound, at every new Jew- 
ish face which showed itself at the end of the 
street. In this condition he passed the whole 
day ; he neither ate nor drank, and his eye 
never for a moment left the small window look- 
ing on the street. Finally, late at night, Mar- 
dokhai and Yankel made their appearance. 
Taras's heart died within him. 

“ What news ? are you successful ? " he asked 
with, the impatience of a wild horse. 

But before the Jews had recovered breath 
to answer, Taras perceived that Mardokhai no 
longer had his locks, which, although very 
greasy, fell in curls from under his felt cap. It 
was evident that he wished to say something, 


262 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


but uttered only such nonsense that Taras 
understood nothing of it. And Yankel himself 
put his hand very often to his mouth as though 
suffering from a cold. 

‘‘Oh, dearest pan!'* said Yankel: “it is ut- 
terly impossible now I by heaven, impossible ! 
Such vile people that one must spit on their 
heads ! And Mardokhai here says the same. 
Mardokhai has done what no man in the world 
ever did, but God did not will that it should be 
so. Three thousand of the army are standing 
here, and to-morrow they are all to be exe- 
cuted." 

Taras looked the Jew straight in the eye, 
but no longer with impatience or anger. 

“But if the pan wishes to see him, then it 
must be early to-morrow morning, before the 
sun has risen. The sentinels have agreed, and 
one jailer has promised. But may he have no 
happiness in the world, woe is me ! What 
greedy people I There are none such among 
us : I gave fifty ducats to each one, and to the 
jailer" — 


TARAS BULBA. 


263 

Good. Take me to him ! exclaimed Taras 
with decision, and all his firmness returned to 
his spirit. He agreed to YankeFs proposition 
that he should disguise himself as a foreign 
count, just arrived from Germany, for which 
purpose the prudent Jew had already provided 
a costume. It was already night. The master 
of the house, the above mentioned red-haired 
Jew with freckles, drew forth a thin mattress 
covered with some sort of rug, and spread it 
on the bench for Bulba. Yankel lay upon the 
floor, on a similar mattress. The red-haired 
Jew drank a small cup of brandy, threw off his 
half-caftan, and betook himself, — looking, in 
his shoes and stockings, a good deal like a 
chicken, — with his wife, to something resem- 
bling a cupboard. Two Jewesses lay down on 
the floor beside the cupboard, like a couple of 
family dogs. But Taras did not sleep : he sat 
motionless, drumming on the table with his 
fingers. He kept his pipe in his mouth, and 
puffed out smoke, which made the Jew sneeze 


264 


TARAS BULBA. 


in his sleep, and wrap his nose up in his 
coverlet. Scarcely was the sky touched with 
the first faint gleams of dawn, when he pushed 
Yankel with his foot: ‘‘Rise, Jew, and give 
me your count’s dress ! ” 

In a moment he was dressed ; he blackened 
his mustache and eyebrows, put on his head 
a small dark cap, and not even the Cossacks 
who knew him best would have recognized him. 
Apparently he was not more than thirty-five. 
A healthy color played in his cheeks, and even 
his scars lent him an air of command. The 
gold-embroidered dress became him extremely. 

The streets were still asleep. Not a single 
mercantile person yet showed himself in the 
city, with his basket on his arm. Yankel and 
Bulba went to a building which had the ap- 
pearance of a crouching stork. It was low, 
wide, huge, and black ; and on one side a long 
slender tower like a stork’s neck projected, 
above which rose a bit of the roof. This build- 
ing served for a variety of purposes : it was a 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


265 


barrack, a jail, and even the criminal court 
Our travellers entered the gate, and found them- 
selves in a vast room, or covered court-yard. 
About a thousand men were sleeping there. 
Straight before them was a small door, in front 
of which sat two sentries playing at some game 
which consisted in one striking the palm of the 
other’s hand with two fingers. They paid little 
heed to the new arrivals, and only turned their 
heads when Yankel said, ‘‘It is we, pani; do 
you hear ? it is we.” 

“Go in!” said one of them, opening the 
door with one hand, and holding out the other 
to his comrade to receive his blows. 

They entered a low and dark corridor, which 
led them to a room of the same description, 
with small windows overhead. “Who goes 
there?” shouted several voices, and Taras 
beheld quite a number of warriors in full 
armor. “ We have been ordered to admit 
no one.” 

“It is we!” cried Yankel; “we, by heavens, 


266 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


noble pani ! ” But no one would listen to him. 
Fortunately, at that moment a fat man came 
along, who, from all the signs, appeared to be 
a commanding officer, for he cursed louder 
than all the others. 

^'Pan, it is we! you know us, and the pan 
count will thank you.’' 

Admit them, a hundred fiends, and mother 
of fiends ! And admit no one else. And no 
one is to draw his sword, and no one is to 
quarrel on the floor.” 

The conclusion of this eloquent order, our 
travellers did not hear. ^‘It is we, it is I, it 
is your friends!” Yankel said to every one 
they met. 

Well, is it possible now } ” he inquired of 
one of the guards, when they at length reached 
the end of the corridor. 

‘‘It is possible, but I don’t know whether 
you are to be admitted to the prison itself. 
Yana is not here now : another man is stand- 
^ng guard in his place,” replied the guard. 


TARAS BULBA, 267 

Ai, ai ! cried the Jew softly : this is bad, 
my dear pan ! 

‘‘Go on!** said Taras firmly. The Jew 
obeyed. 

At the door of the vaults, which ran to a 
peak at the top, stood a heyduke, with mus- 
tache in three layers : the upper layer ran 
back, the second straight forward, and the third 
downwards, which made him greatly resemble 
a cat 

The Jew shrank into nothing, and approached 
him almost sideways : “Your high excellency! 
High and illustrious pan ! ** 

“Are you speaking to me, Jew?** 

“To you, illustrious pan.** 

“Hm, but I am merely a heyduke,** said 
the merry-eyed man with the three-story mus- 
tache. 

“And I thought it was the Voevod himself, 
by heavens ! Ai, ai, ai ! ** Thereupon the Jew 
twisted his head about, and spread out his 
fingers. . “ Ai, what a majestic form ! Another 


268 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


finger’s breadth, and he would be a colonel. 
The pan must mount a horse as fleet as a fly, 
and drill the troops!” 

The heyduke arranged the lower story of 
his mustache, and his eyes beamed. 

‘‘ What a warlike people ! ” continued the 
Jew. ‘^Ah, woe is me, what a fine race! 
Cords and spangles, they shine like the sun ; 
and the maidens, wherever they see warriors — 
Ai, ai ? ” Again the Jew wagged his head. 

The heyduke twirled his upper mustache, 
and uttered a sound somewhat resembling the 
neigh of a horse. 

‘‘I pray the pan to do us a service!” ex- 
claimed the Jew: ‘‘this prince has come hither 
from a foreign land, and wants to get a look 
at the Cossacks. He never, in all his life, 
has seen what sort of people the Cossacks 
are. 

The appearance of foreign counts and barons 
was sufficiently common in Poland : they were 
often drawn by curiosity to view this half- 


TARAS BULBA. 


269 


Asiatic corner of Europe. They regarded 
Moscow and the Ukraine as situated in Asia. 
So the heyduke bowed low, and thought fit to 
add a few words of his own^ 

“I do not know, your excellency,*' said he, 
^‘why you should desire to see them. They 
are dogs, not people ; and their faith is such as 
no one respects." 

‘^You lie, you son of Satan!" said Bulba. 
“You are a dog yourself! How dare you say 
that our faith is not respected.^ It is your 
heretical faith which is not respected.** 

“Oho!" said the heyduke. “But I know 
who you are, my friend ; you are one of those 
who are under my charge. So wait, I will 
summon our men.** 

Taras perceived his indiscretion, but vexa- 
tion and obstinacy prevented his devising a 
means of remedying it. Fortunately Yankel 
managed to interpose at this moment: — 

“ Most noble pan, how is it possible that the 
count should be a Cossack.^ And if he were 


2/0 


TARAS BULBA. 


a Cossack, where could he have obtained such 
a dress, and such a count-like mien ? 

‘^Explain it yourself/' And the heyduke 
opened his wide mouth to shout. 

^‘Your royal highness, silence, silence, for 
heaven's sake ! " cried Yankel. Silence ! we 
will pay you for it in a way you never dreamed 
of : we will give you two golden ducats." 

Oho ! two ducats ! I can't do any thing 
with two ducats. I give my barber two ducats 
for only shaving the half of my beard. Give 
a hundred ducats, Jew." Here the heyduke 
twirled his upper mustache. ‘‘And if you 
don't give a hundred ducats, I will shout at 
once." 

“And why so much.?" said the Jew sadly, 
turning pale, and undoing his leather purse ; 
but it was lucky that he had no more in his 
purse, and that the heyduke could not count 
over a hundred. 

“ Pan, pan, let us depart quickly ! See the 
evil people yonder!" said Yankel, perceiving 


TARAS BULBA. 


271 


that the heyduke was turning the money over 
in his hand, as though regretting that he had 
not demanded more. 

“What do you mean, you devil of a hey- 
duke?’* said Bulba. “You have taken our 
money, and do not mean to let us see? No, 
you must let us see. Since you have taken 
the money, you have no right to refuse.” 

“ Go, go to the devil ! and if you won’t, 
I’ll give the alarm this moment, and you — 
Take yourselves off quick, I say ! ” 

“ Pan, pan, let us go ! in God’s name, let us 
go ! Curse him ! May he dream such things 
that he will have to spit,” cried poor Yankel. 

Bulba turned slowly, with drooping head, and 
went back, followed by the reproaches of 
Yankel, who sorrowed at the thought of the 
wasted ducats. 

“ And why be angry ? Let the dog curse. 
That race cannot help cursing. Oh, woe is 
me, what luck God sends to some people ! A 
hundred ducats merely for driving us off! 


2^2 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


And our brother: they will tear off his ear- 
locks, and they will make something out of 
his face that you cannot look at, and no one 
will give him ^ a hundred gold pieces. O 
heavens ! Merciful God ! ’’ 

But this failure made a much deeper impres- • 
sion on Bulba : it was expressed by a devour- 
ing flame in his eyes. 

“ Let us go/' he said suddenly, as if shaking 
himself ; ‘‘ let us go to the square. I want to 
see how they will torture him." 

Oh, pan ! why go ? That will do us no 
good now." 

‘‘Let us go," said Bulba obstinately; and 
the Jew followed him, sighing like a nurse. 

The square on which the execution was to 
take place was not hard to find : the people 
were thronging thither from all quarters. In 
that savage age it constituted one of the most 
noteworthy spectacles, not only for the common 
people, but among the higher classes. A 
number of the most pious old men, a throng of 


TARAS BULBA. 


m 


young girls, and the most cowardly women, 
who dreamed the whole night afterwards of 
bloody corpses, who shrieked as loudly in their 
sleep as a drunken hussar, missed no oppor- 
tunity, nevertheless, to gratify their curiosity. 
‘‘ Ah, what tortures ! ” cried many of thern 
hysterically, covering their eyes, and turning 
away ; but they stood their ground for quite a 
while, nevertheless. Many a one, with gaping 
mouth and out-stretched hands, would have 
liked to jump upon the people's heads, to 
get a better view. Above the mass of small, 
narrow, commonplace heads, towered the large 
head of a butcher, admiring the whole process 
with the air of a connoisseur, and exchanging 
brief words with a gunsmith, whom he called 
Gossip because he had got drunk in the same 
alehouse with him on a holiday. Some en- 
tered into warm discussions, others even laid 
wagers. But the majority were of the kind, 
, who, all the world over, look on at the world 
and at every thing that goes on in it, and 


274 


TARAS BULBA. 


merely scratch their noses. In the foreground, 
close to the bearded city-guards, stood a young 
noble, or one who appeared such, in warlike 
costume, who had certainly put on all he 
owned, leaving only his torn shirt and his old 
shoes in his quarters. Two chains, one on top 
of the other, hung around his neck, with some 
ducats. He stood with his mistress Usisya, 
and glanced round incessantly to see that no 
one soiled her silk gown. He explained every 
thing to her so perfectly that no one could 
have added a word. ‘‘All these people, my 
dear Usisya,’' he said, “whom you see, have 
come to see the criminals executed ; and that 
man, my love, yonder, who holds the axe and 
other instruments in his hands, is the exe- 
cutioner, and he will despatch them : and 
when he begins to break them on the wheel, 
and torture them in other ways, the criminal 
will be still alive; but when he cuts off his 
head, then, my love, he will die at once. Be- 
fore that, he will cry and move; but just as 


TARAS BULBA. 


275 


soon as his head is cut off, it will be impossible 
for him to cry, or to eat or drink, because, my 
dear, he will no longer have any head/’ And 
Usisya listened to it all with terror and curios- 
ity. The roofs of the houses were filled with 
people. From the windows in the roof peered 
strange faces with beards and something 
resembling caps. Upon the balconies, beneath 
awnings, sat the aristocracy. The beautiful 
hands of the smiling young ladies, brilliant as 
white sugar, clasped the railing. The noble 
pani, all quite stout, looked on with dignity. 
A servant in rich garb, with backward-flowing 
sleeves, carried round various drinks and 
eatables. Sometimes a black-eyed rogue would 
take her pie or fruit, and fling if among the 
crowd with her own noble little hand. The 
crowd of hungry knights held up their caps to 
catch it ; and some tall noble, whose head rose 
amid the throng, with his faded red jacket and 
discolored gold braid, was the first to catch it 
with the aid of his long arms, and kissed his 


2J6 taigas BULBA. 

booty, pressed it to his heart, and finally put 
it in his mouth. The hawk, suspended beneath 
the balcony in a golden cage, was also a 
spectator ; with beak inclined to one side, and 
with one foot raised, he also watched the people 
attentively. But suddenly a murmur ran 
through the crowd, and a rumor spread, ‘‘They 
are coming ! they are coming ! the Cossacks ! 

They walked with uncovered heads, with 
their long locks floating. Their beards were 
gone. They walked neither timidly nor surli- 
ly, but with a certain pride. Their garments 
of handsome cloth were worn out, and hung 
about them in tatters. They neither looked 
at nor bowed to the people. At the head 
of all walked Ostap. 

What were old Taras’s feelings when he 
beheld his Ostap } What was in his heart 
then.^ He gazed at him from amid the 
crowd, and lost not a single movement of 
his. They approached the place of execu- 
tion. Ostap stopped. He was to be the 


TARAS BULBA, 


277 


first to drink the bitter cup. He glanced 
at his comrades, raised his hand, and spoke 
loudly : “ God grant that none of the heretics 
who stand here may hear, the unclean dogs, 
how Christians suffer! Let none of us utter 
a single word.” After this he approached the 
scaffold. 

“ Well done, son ! well done I ” said Bulba 
softly, and bent his gray head. 

The executioner tore off his old rags ; they 
fastened his hands and feet in stocks pre- 
pared expressly, and — We will not pain the 
reader with a picture of the hellish tortures, 
which would make his hair rise upright on 
his head. They were the outcome of that 
coarse, wild age, when men still led the 
bloody life of warlike expeditions, and hard- 
ened their souls in them until no sense of 
humanity was left. In vain did some (they 
were not many, but exceptions, in that age) 
make a stand against such terrible measures. 
In vain did the king and many knights, en- 


2/8 


TARAS BULBA, 


lightened in mind and soul, demonstrate that 
such severity of punishment could but fan 
the flame of vengeance in the Cossack nation. 
But the power of the king, and the opinion 
of the wise, was nothing before the disordered 
and savage will of the magnates of the king- 
dom, who by their thoughtlessness and uncon- 
querable lack of all far-sighted policy, their 
childish self-love and miserable pride, con- 
verted the Landtag into the mockery of a 
government. Ostap endured the pains and 
torments like a giant. Not a cry, not a 
groan, was heard ; even when they began to 
break the bones in his hands and feet, when 
the horrible cracking was audible to the 
most distant spectators amid the death-like 
stillness of the crowd, when even his tor- 
mentors turned aside their eyes, nothing like 
a groan escaped his lips, nor did his face 
quiver. Taras stood in the crowd with bowed 
head ; and, raising his eyes proudly at that 
moment, he only said approvingly, Well 
done, son ! well done ! ” 


TARAS BULBA, 


279 


But when they took him to the last deadly 
tortures, it seemed as though his strength 
were failing. He turned his eyes about. 

O God ! all strangers, all unknown faces ! 
If only some of his relatives were present at 
his death ! He would not have cared to hear 
the sobs and anguish of his feeble mother, or 
the unreasoning cries of a wife, tearing her 
hair and beating her white breast : he would 
have liked to see the strong man who could 
refresh him with a wise word, and cheer his 
end. And his strength failed him, and he 
cried in the weakness of his soul, ‘‘Father! 
where are you ? do you hear all ? 

“ I hear I '' rang through the universal 
silence, and all that million of people shud- 
dered in concert. A detachment of the 
mounted soldiers hastened anxiously to scan 
the throng of people. Yankel turned pale as 
death, and when the horsemen had got a 
short distance from him, he turned round in 
terror to look for Taras : but Taras was no 
longer beside him ; every trace of him was lost. 


28o 


TARAS BULBA. 


XII. 

They found traces of Taras. An army of 
a hundred and twenty thousand Cossacks 
appeared on the borders of the Ukraine. 
This was not a small division or detachment 
which had sallied forth for plunder or in 
pursuit of the Tatars. No : the whole nation 
had risen, for the measure of the people's 
patience was over-full ; they had risen to 
avenge the ridicule of their rights, the dis- 
honorable humiliation of their natures, the 
insults to the faith of their fathers and their 
sacred customs, for injuries to their church, 
the excesses of the foreign pani, the perse- 
cution, the union, the disgraceful domination 
of the Jews on Christian soil, and all that 
had excited and increased the stern hatred 
of the Cossacks for a long time. Hetman 


TARAS BULBA. 


281 

Ostranitza, young, but strong in spirit, led 
the whole innumerable Cossack force. Be- 
side him was seen his very aged and expe- 
rienced friend and counsellor, Gunya. Eight 
colonels led regiments of twelve thousand men 
each. Two osauls-general and a bunchuzhniy 
(major) general followed the hetman. A cor- 
net general carried the chief standard ; many 
other banners and standards floated afar off ; 
the comrades of the staff bore the golden 
hetman's staff. There were also many other 
officials of the regiment, of the transports, 
and of the general army, and regimental 
secretaries, and with them detachments of 
foot-soldiers and cavalry. There were almost 
as many free Cossacks and volunteers as there 
were registered Cossacks. The Cossacks had 
risen everywhere, in Tchigirin, from Pereyaslaf, 
from Baturin, from Glukhof, from the regions 
of the lower Dniepr, and from all its upper 
shores and islands. An innumerable stream of 
horses and herds stretched across the plain. 


282 


TARAS BULBA. 


And among all these Cossacks, among all these 
regiments, one regiment was the choicest ; and 
that regiment was led by Taras Bulba. All 
contributed to give him a weight over the 
others : his advanced years, his experience and 
skill in directing an army, and his exceeding 
hatred of the enemy. His unsparing fierce- 
ness and harshness seemed exaggerated even 
to the Cossacks. His gray head dreamed of 
nothing but fire and the halter, and his utter- 
ances in the council of war breathed only 
annihilation. 

It is useless to describe all the battles in 
which the Cossacks distinguished themselves, 
or the gradual course of the campaign. All 
this is set down in the chronicles. It is well 
known what an army raised on Russian soil, 
for the faith, is like. There is no power 
stronger than faith. It is threatening and 
invincible as a rock, not made by human 
hands, amid the stormy, ever-changing sea. 
From the very bottom of the sea it raises 


TARAS BULBA. 


283 


its jagged walls to heaven, of one firm, im- 
penetrable stone. It is visible from every- 
where, and looks the waves straight in the 
eye as they roll past. And woe to the ship 
which is dashed against it ! Its frame flies 
into splinters, every thing in it is split and 
crushed into dust, and the startled air re- 
echoes the piteous cries of the drowning. 

In the pages of the chronicles there is a 
minute description of how the Polish garrisons 
fled from the freed cities ; how the unscru- 
pulous Jew pot-house keepers were hung ; 
how weak was the royal hetman, Nikolai 
Pototzky, with his numerous army, against 
this invincible force ; how, broken, pursued, he 
drowned the best part of his army in a small 
stream ; how the fierce Cossack regiments be- 
sieged him in the small town of Polon ; and 
how, reduced to extremities, the Polish hetman 
promised, under oath, full satisfaction for all 
on the part of the king and the government 
officials, and the return of all their rights and 


284 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


privileges. But the Cossacks were not men 
to yield for that. They already knew well 
what a Polish oath was. And Pototzky would 
never more have pranced on his six-thousand- 
ducat horse from the Kabardei, attracting the 
glances of distinguished ladies, and the envy 
of the nobility ; he would never more have 
made a figure in the Landtag, giving expen- 
sive feasts to the senators, — if the Russian 
priests who were in the little town had not 
saved him. When all the popes, in their bril- 
liant gold vestments, went out to meet the 
Cossacks, bearing the ikon and the cross, 
with the bishop himself at their head, cross 
in hand, and the episcopal mitre on his head, 
the Cossacks all bowed their heads, and took 
off their caps. No one lower than the king 
himself would they have respected at such an 
hour; but their daring fell before the Church 
of Christ, and they respected their priest- 
hood. The hetman and colonels agreed to 
release Pototzky, after haying exacted from 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


285 


him a solemn oath to leave all the Christian 
churches at liberty, to lay aside the ancient 
enmity, and to do no injury to the Cossack 
army. One colonel alone would not consent 
to such a peace. This one was Taras. He « 
tore a handful of hair from his head, and 
cried, — 

Eh, hetman and colonels ! Commit no 
such womanish deed. Trust not the Lyakhs ; ' 
perish the dogs ! 

When the regimental secretary presented the 
agreement, and the hetman put his powerful 
hand to it, Taras drew out a genuine Damascus 
blade, a rich Turkish sabre of the finest steel, 
broke it in twain like a reed, and threw the two 
pieces far away on each side, saying, Fare- 
well ! As the two pieces of this sword will 
never re-unite and form one sword again, so we, 
comrades, shall neyermore behold each other 
in this world. Remember my parting words.'' 
(Here his voice grew stronger, rose higher, and 
acquired a hitherto unknown power ; and his 


286 


TARAS BC/LBA, 


prophetic utterances troubled them all.) “Be- 
fore the death hour you will remember me ! 
Do you think that you have purchased peace 
and quiet do you think that you will live in 
grand style You will live in grand style, but 
after another fashion. They will flay the skin 
from your head, hetman, they will stuff it with 
bran, and long will it be exhibited at fairs. 
Neither will you retain your heads, panove. 
You will fall into damp dungeons, walled about 
with stone, if they do not boil you all alive in 
kettles, like sheep. 

“And you, men,’' he continued, turning to 
his followers, “which of you wants to die his 
own death } not through sorrows and woman- 
ish lounging, nor drunk under a hedge beside 
the ale-house ; but an honorable Cossack death, 
all in one bed, like bride and groom } Or, per- 
haps, you would like to return home, and turn 
to infidels, and carry Polish priests on your 
backs .? ” 

“ After you, pan colonel, after you ! ” shouted 


TARAS BULBA, 


287 


all his regiment, and many others joined 
them. 

‘‘If it is after me, then follow me,*’ said 
Taras, pulling his cap farther over his brows ; 
and looking menacingly at the others, he went 
to his horse, and cried to his men, “Let no 
one reproach us with any insulting speeches. 
Now, hey there, men ! we’ll call on the Catho- 
lics.” And then he struck his horse, and there 
followed him a camp of a hundred telegas, and 
with them many Cossack cavalry and foot- 
soldiers ; and, turning, he threatened with a 
glance all who remained behind, and wrath was 
in his eye. The regiment departed in full view 
of all the army, and Taras continued long to 
turn and glower. 

The hetman and colonels were disturbed ; all 
became thoughtful, and remained long silent, 
as though oppressed by some heavy foreboding. 
Not in vain had Taras prophesied : all came to 
pass as he had foretold. A little while after- 
wards, after the treacherous attack at Kaneva, 


288 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


the hetman's head was mounted on a stake, 
together with those of many of his officers. 

And what of Taras } Taras made raids all 
over Poland with his regiment, burned eighteen 
towns and nearly forty churches, and reached 
Cracow. He killed many nobles, plundered 
the richest and finest castles. The Cossacks 
opened and emptied on the ground the century- 
old mead and wine, carefully hoarded up in the 
lordly cellars ; they cut and burned rich cloths, 
garments, and equipments, which they found 
in the wardrobes. ‘‘Spare nothing," enjoined 
Taras. The Cossacks spared not the black- 
browed gentlewomen, the brilliant, white-bos- 
omed maidens : they could not save themselves 
even at the altar ; Taras burned them with the 
altar. Many snowy hands were raised to 
heaven from amid the fiery flames, accompa- 
nied by piteous shrieks, which would have 
moved the damp earth itself to pity, and caused 
the steppe-grass to bend with compassion at 
their fate, But the cruel Cossacks paid no 


TAJ^AS BULBA, 


289 


heed ; and, raising the children in the streets 
upon their lances, they cast them also into the 
flames. 

‘‘ This is a mass for the soul of Ostap, you 
malignant Lyakhs,’' was all that Taras said. 
And such masses for Ostap he arranged in 
every village, until the Polish Government per- 
ceived that Taras’s raids were more than ordi- 
nary expeditions for plunder ; and that same 
Pototzky was given five regiments, and ordered 
to capture Taras without fail. 

Six days did the Cossacks retreat along the 
country roads, before the pursuit ; their horses 
almost endured this excessive flight, and saved 
the Cossacks. But this time Pototzky was 
equal to the task that was intrusted to him ; 
unweariedly he followed them, and reached 
the bank of the Dniestr, where Taras had 
taken possession of an abandoned and ruined 
castle for the purpose of resting. 

On the very brink of the Dniestr it stood, 
with its shattered ramparts and the ruined 


290 


TARAS BULBA. 


remains of its walls. The summit of the cliff 
was strewn with ragged stones and broken 
bricks, ready at any moment to detach them- 
selves and fly to the bottom. The royal het- 
man, Pototzky, surrounded it on the two sides 
which faced on the plain. Four days did the 
Cossacks fight and struggle, tearing down 
bricks and stones for missiles. But their 
stones and their strength were exhausted, and 
Taras resolved to fight his way through the 
ranks. And the Cossacks would have fought 
their way out, and their swift steeds might 
again have served them faithfully, had not 
Taras halted suddenly in the very midst of 
their flight, and shouted, Halt ! my pipe has 
dropped with its tobacco: I won’t let those 
malignant Lyakhs have my pipe ! ” And the 
old ataman bent down, and reached in the 
grass for his pipe full of tobacco, his insep- 
arable companion on all his expeditions on 
sea and land and at home. 

But in the mean time a band of Lyakhs 


TARAS BULBA. 


291 


suddenly rushed up, and seized him by his 
powerful shoulders. He tried to struggle with 
all his limbs ; but he did not scatter on the 
earth, as he had been wont to do, the hey- 
dukes who had seized him. ‘‘Oh, old age, old 
age ! he said : and the stout old Cossack 
wept. But his age was not to blame : nearly 
thirty men were hanging on his arms and legs. 

“ The raven is caught ! '' screamed the 
Lyakhs. “Now it is only necessary to think 
how we can show him the most honor, the 
dog ! and they decided, with the permission 
of the hetman, to burn him alive in the sight 
of all. There stood near by a naked tree, the 
summit of which had been struck by lightning. 
They bound him with iron chains to the 
trunk of the tree, driving nails through his 
hands, and raising him higher that the Cossack 
might be everywhere visible ; and they began 
at once to place fagots at the foot of the tree. 
But Taras did not look at the wood, nor did 
he think of the fire with which they were 


292 


TAIRAS BULBA. 


preparing to roast him : he gazed anxiously in 
the direction whence the Cossacks were firing. 
From his high post of observation he could see 
every thing, as in the palm of his hand. 

‘‘Take possession, men, take possession 
quickly,’^ he shouted, “of the hillock behind 
the wood : they cannot climb it ! ’’ But the 
wind did not carry his words to them. “ They 
are lost, lost for nothing!'' he said in despair, 
and glanced down to where the Dniestr shone. 
Joy gleamed in his eyes. He saw the sterns 
of four boats peeping out from behind the 
bushes ; gathered together all the strength of 
his voice, and shouted in a ringing tone, “To 
the shore, to the shore, men ! descend the path 
to the left, under the cliff. There are boats 
on the shore ; take all, that they may not 
catch you." 

This time the breeze blew from the other 
side, and all his words were audible to the 
Cossacks. But for this counsel he received a 
blow on the head with the back of an axe. 


TARAS BULBA, 


293 


which made every thing dance before his 
eyes. 

The Cossacks descended the cliff path at 
full speed, but the pursuers were at their 
heels. They looked : the path wound and 
twisted, and made many detours to one side. 
‘‘ Ah, comrades, we are trapped ! said they 
all, halted for an instant, raised their whips, 
whistled, and their Tatar horses rose from the 
ground, parted the air like serpents, flew over 
the precipice, and plunged straight into the 
Dniestr. Two only did not fall into the 
river, but thundered from the height upon 
the stones, and perished there with their 
horses without uttering a cry. But the Cos- 
sacks had already swam from their horses, 
and unfastened the boats. The Lyakhs halted 
on the brink of the precipice, astounded at 
this wonderful feat of the Cossacks, and think- 
ing, Shall we spring down to them, or not } ” 

One young colonel, a lively, hot-blooded 
fellow, own brother to the beautiful Pole who 


294 


TARAS BULBA. 


had seduced poor Andrfi, did not reflect long, 
but flung himself and his horse after the Cos- 
sacks with all his might. He made three 
turns in the air with his steed, and fell heavily 
on the ragged cliffs. The sharp stones tore 
him in pieces as he fell into the abyss ; and 
his brains, mingled with blood, bespattered 
the shrubs growing on the uneven walls of 
the precipice. 

When Taras Bulba recovered from the blow, 
and glanced at the Dniestr, the Cossacks wer^s 
already in the skiffs and rowing away ; balls 
showered upon them from above, but did not 
reach them. And the old ataman’s eyes 
sparkled with joy. 

'‘Farewell, comrades!” he shouted to them 
from above; “remember me, and come hither 
again next spring, and make merry ! What ! 
cursed Lyakhs, ye have caught me 1 Think 
ye there is any thing in the world that a Cos- 
sack fears } Wait ; the time will come when 
ye shall learn what the orthodox Russian faith 


TAIRAS BULBA, 


29s 


is ! Already the people scent it far and near. 
A czar shall arise from Russian soil, and there 
shall not be a power in the world which shall 
not submit to him ! But the fire had already 
risen over the fagots ; it lapped his feet, 
and the flame spread to the tree. . . . But 
can any fire, flames, or power be found on 
earth, which are capable of overpowering 
Russian strength } 

Not small is the river Dniestr, and in it are 
many deep pools, dense reed-beds, shallows 
and little bays ; its watery mirror gleams, filled 
with the melodious plaint of the swan, and the 
proud wild goose glides swiftly over it ; and 
many snipe, red-throated ruffs, and various 
other sorts of birds, are to be found among the 
reeds and along the banks. The Cossacks 
rowed swiftly on in the narrow double-ruddered 
boats, — rowed stoutly, carefully shunning the 
reefs, cleaving the ranks of the birds, which 
took wing, — and talked of their ataman. 


r 



AT3:CA!9$%f TT 

marks the women of our households when they undertake to make their 
homes bright and cheery. Nothing deters them. Their weary work may 
I be as long as the word which begins this paragraph, but they prove their 
regard for decent homes bjr their indefatigability. What a pity that any 
of them should add to their toil by neglecting to use Sapolio. it reduces 
the labor of cleaning and scouring at least onc>half. 10c, a cake. Sold by 
all grocers. 





Dr. a. W. Thompson, Northampton, Mass., says: “I have tested the 
Gluten Suppositories, and consider them valuable, as indeed, I expected 
from the excellence or their theory.*’ 

Dr. Wm. Tod Helmuth declares the Gluten Suppositories to be “the 
best remedy for constipation which I have ever prescribed.** 

‘‘As Sancho Panza said of sleep, so say I of your Gluten Suppositories; 
God bless the man who invented them!” — E. L. Ripley, Burlington, Vt. 

“I prescribe the Gluten Suppositories almost daily in my practice and 
am often astonished at the permanent results obtained.”—^. Montfort 
Schley, M.D., Professor Physical Diagnosis Woman’s Medical College, 
New York City. 

HEALTH FOOD CO., 75 4th Avenue, N. T. 



nPTTTT* "RTTCIT* 

WASHING COMPOUND 

EV£R INVENTED. 

IVo married or 

Siiig;le, Ricli or Poor, 
Koasekeeping; or 
Roar ding;, will De 
witliout it after test* 
ing; its utility. 

Sold by all first-class 
Orocers,but beware of 
prtbless imitations. 


TEN MILLION DOLLAKS CAPITAL 

IS NOW ENGAGED IN THE 



It is an organization of the manufacturers of many classes of 
merchandise and thousands of private families who reside in all 
parts of the United States, who have acquired some confidence in 
one another, and trade direct between themselves, and thus effect a 
large saving of money by avoiding the middlemen’s expenses, profits, 
and losses. 

All business by correspondence is consolidated and transacted 
through the Members’ and Manufacturers’ Central Offices, located 
at 68 Wall Street, and 14 and 16 Vesey Street, New York City. 

The Association involves the use of Ten Million Dollars invested 
in machinery and manufactured stock, and at least five thousand 
employees. So perfectly is this vast syndicate’s systems adjusted, 
that each member gets a direct benefit of the whole organization, by 
saving from 10 to 50 per cent, on all goods purchased, and this 
without assuming any responsibility of loss or making one obligation ; 
while on the other hand, each manufacturer sells his wares for spot 
cash, and only in such quantities as their high grade, quality, and 
reputation warrant. 

Every twenty-four hours the business is completed and not a dol- 
lar remains due to either member or manufacturer. Hence the 
magnificent achivements resulting after two years’ operations of 
this organization. 

Memberships are issued to persons, good for the exchisive use of 
their families, upon payment of seventy-five (75) cents, which sum is 
required to cover the expense of supplying the “Buyer’s Guide and 
Instructor,” a large quarto volume of 250 pages, sent to all new 
members free. 

Confidence in ihe Association is needed before it is of any real 
benefit to you. This can be obtained in two ways, viz.: ist. Inquire 
among your neighbors and find some friend who has had dealings 
with the organization ; or 2d, Venture to send some small trial 
orders and judge from the goods received whether the dealings are 
fair and advantageous to you. 

Orders for goods are received from and goods sent to all parts of 
the United States, with F'ree "transportation when ten 
or more members combine or club their orders, the freight charges 
being paid by the Manufacturers at the Central Office. 

Apply at once, and make all remittances for either merchandise or 
membership fees payable to 

A. J. BISHOP, Conductor, 

People’s Co-operative Supply Association. 

14 & 1C Yesey St, NEW YORK CITY. 


H. RIDER HAGGARD’S NOVELS. 


SHE : A HISTORY OF ADVENTURE. i 2 mo. Paper, 
20 cents. 

There are color, splendor, and passion everywhere ; action in abundance ; con- 
stant variety and absorbing interest. Mr. Haggard does not err on the side of 
niggardliness; he is only too affluent in description and ornament. . . . There is 

a largeness, a freshness, and a strength about him which are full of promise and 
encouragement, the more since he has placed himself so unmistakably on the roman- 
tic side of fiction : that is, on the side of truth and permanent value. . . t He is 

already one of the foremost modern romance writers. — N, V, World, 

It seems to me that Mr. Haggard has supplied to us in this book the complement 
of “ Dr. Jeckyl.” He has shown us what woman’s love for manreallj' means. — Tht 
Journalist, 

One cannot too much applaud Mr. Haggard for his power in working up to a 
weird situation and holding the reader at the ghost-story pitch without ever abso- 
l uteljr entering the realm of the supernatural. . . . It is a story to read at 

one sitting, not in weekly parts. But its sensationalism is fresh and stirring : its 
philosophy is conveyed in pages that glow with fine images and charm the reader 
like the melodious verse of Swinburne. — N, Y, Times. 

One of the most peculiar, vivid, and absorbing stories we have read for a long 
time. — Boston Times, 

JESS. A Novel. i 2 mo. Paper, 20 cents. 

Mr. Haggard has a genius, not to say a great talent, for story-telling. . . . 

That he should have a large circle of readers in England and this country, where so 
many are trying to tell stories with no stories to tell, is a healthy sign, in that it 
shows that the love of fiction, pure and simple, is as strong as it was in the days of 
Dickens and Thackeray and Scott, the older days of Smollett and Fielding, and the 
old, old days of Le Sage and Cervantes. — N, Y, Mail and Express, 

This bare sketch of the story gives no conception of the beauty of the love- 
passages between Jess and Niel, or of the many fine touches interpolated by the 
author. — St. Louis Republican. 

Another feast of South African life and marvel tor those who revelled In “ She.” — 
Brooklyn Eagle, 

The story has special and novel interest for the spirited reproduction of life, char- 
acter, scenes, and incidents peculiar to the Transvaal. — Boston Advertiser, 

Mr. Haggard is remarkable for his fertility of Invention. . . . The story, like 

the rest of his stories, is full of romance, movement, action, color, passion. “ Jess ” 
is to be commended because it is what it pretends to be — a story. — Philadelphia 
Times, 

KING SOLOMON’S MINES. A Novel. l 2 mo. Paper, 
20 cents. 

Few stories of the season are more exciting than this, for it contains an account 
of the discovery of the legendary mines of King Solomon in South Africa.^ The 
style is quaint and realistic throughout, and the adventures of the explorers in the 
land of the Kukuana are full of stirring incidents. The characters, too, are vigor- 
ously drawn. — Nevus and Courier, Charleston. 

This novel has achieved a wonderful popuHrity. It Is one of the best selling 
books of the season, and it deserves its great success. — Troy Daily Press, 

THE WITCH’S HEAD. A Novel. i 2 mo. Paper, 20 cents. 
DAWN. A Novel. i 2 mo. Paper, 20 cents. 

Published by JOHN IV. LOVELL COMPANY, New York. 

Any of the above works sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the 
United States or Canada^ on receipt of the price. 



RECENTLY PUBLISHED. 


1 vd.y 12mOf illustrated^ cloth gilt, $1,50, 


SOCIAL SOLUTIONS 

. (Solutions Sociales). 

By M. OOBIN, 

Pounder of tTie Familist^re at Guise ; Prominent Leader of IndtustrUs in 
France and Belgium; Member of the National Assemhly. 

TRANSLATED PROM THE FRENCH BY 

MARIE HOWLAND. 


An admirable English translation of M. Godin’s state- 
ment of the course of study which led him to conceive the 
Social Palace at Guise, France. There is no question that 
this pubhcation will mark an era in the growth of the 
labor question. It should serve as the manual for organ- 
ized labor in its present contest, since its teachings will as 
surely lead to the destruction of the wages system as the 
abohtion movement lead to that of chattel slavery. 


JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY, 

PUBLISHERS, 

J4 and 16 Yesey Street^ NHW 



LOVELL’S LIBRARY 


1L.A.TEST 


93T My Sister the Actress, by Marryat..20 

938 Captain Norton’s Diary, by Marryat.lO 

939 The Girls of Feversham,by Marryat. 20 

940 The Boot of All Evil, by Marryat. .20 

941 Dawn, by H. Rider Haggard 20 

942 Facing the Footlights, by Marryat. 20 

943 Petronel, by Florence Marryat 20 

944 A Star and a Heart, by Marryat... 10 

945 Ange, by Florence Marryat 20 

946 A Harvest of Wild Oats, by Marryat. 20 
94T The Poison of Asps, by F. Marryat.lO 

948 Fair-Haired Alda, by F. Marryat. .. 20 

949 The Heir Presumptive, by Marryat .20 

950 Under the Lilies and Roses, by 

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951 The Heart of Jane Warner, by 

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952 Love’s Conflict, by Marryat, P’t I. .20 
Love’s Conflict, by Marryat, P’t n..20 

953 Phyllida, by Florence Marryat 20 

954 Out of his Reckoning, by Marryat.lO 

955 Cradock Nowell, byBlackmore,P’tI.20 
Cradock Nowell, by R. D. Black- 

more, Ft n 20 

956 The Woodlanders, by Hardy 20 

957 The Dead Secret, by Wilkie Collins.20 

958 Sabina Zembra, by William Black.. 20 

959 Wee Wlfie, by R. N. Carey 20 

960 Wooed and Married, by Carey 20 

961 Springhaven, by R. D. Blackmore. .20 

962 Knight-Errant, by Edna Lyall 20 

963 Her Johnnie, by Violet Whyte 20 

964 Far from the Madding Crowd, by 

Thomas Hardy 20 

965 The Lilies of Florence, by G. Sand.20 

966 The Story of Our Mess, Tribune 

Prize War Stories 20 

967 The Three Bummers, Tribune Prize 

War Stories 20 

968 Bound by a Spell, by Hugh Conway.20 

969 A Woman’s War, by B. M. Clay 20 

970 Against her Will, by A. M. Howard.20 

971 Nora’s Love Test, by Mary C. Hay. 20 

972 The Squire’s Legacy, by M. C. Hay.20 

973 Dorothy’s Venture, by M. C. Hay. .20 

974 My First Offer, ^ Mary Cecil Hay. 10 

975 Back to the Old Home, by M.C.Hay.lO 

976 For Her Dear Sake, by M. O. Hay.. 20 

977 Hidden Perils, by Mary Cecil Hay..20 

978 Victor and Vanquished, by H^...20 

979 Her World Against a Lie, by Ilor- 

ence Marryat 20 

980 At the World’s Mercy, F. Warden.l0 


ISSUES. 

981 The House on the Marsh, by F. 


Warden 2 # 

982 Deldee, by F. Warden. 20 


983 A Prince of Darkness, by Warden.20 

984 ’Twtxt Smile and Tear, by Clay 20 

985 Lady Diana’s Pride, by B. M. Clay.20 

986 Belle of Lynn, by Bertha M. Clay.. 20 

987 Romance of a Poor Young Man, by 

Octave Feuillet lo 

988 Marjorie’s Fate, by Bertha M. Clay. 20 

989 Sweet CYmbellne, by B. M. Clay.... 20 

990 Open Sesame, by Florence Marryat.20 

991 Mad Dumaresq, by F. Marryat 20 

992 Camille, by Alexandre Dumas, Jr.. 10 

993 The Child Wife, by A. M. Howard. 10 

994 Lucy Crofton, by Mrs. Oliphant 10 

995 Which ShaU it Be ? by Mrs. Alex- 

ander 20 

996 The Queen of Hearts, by Collins. ..20 

997 The Golden Hope, by W. C. Russell. 20 

998 Beau Tancrede, by Alex. Dumas. .20 

999 Fighting the Air, by F. Marryat, . .20 

In Press : 

1000 Frederick the Great and nls Court, 


by Louisa Miihlbach 30 

1001 Frankley, by Henri Greville 20 


1002 To Call Her Mine, by W. Be8ant.20 

1003 The Haunted Hotel, by W. Collins. 10 

1004 This Man’s Wife, by G. M. Fenn. .20 

1005 Next of Kin Wanted, by M. Beth- 

am-Edwards 20 

1006 A Daughter of the People, by 

Georgiana M. Craik 20 

1007 Redeemed by Love, by B. M. Clay.20 

1008 Marrying and Giving in Marriage, 

by Mrs. Molesworth 10 

1009 The Great Hesper, by F. Barrett..20 

1010 Mrs. Gregory, by Agnes Ray 20 

1011 Pirates of the Prairies, by Aimard.lO 

1012 The Squire’s Darling, by Clay... 10 

1013 The Mystery of Colde Fell, by 

Bertha M. Clay 20 

1014 The Daughter of an Empress, by 

Louisa Miihlbach 30 

1016 Pemberton, by Henry Peterson... 30 

1016 Taras Bulla, by Nikolai V. Gogol.. 20 

1017 A Vital Question, by Nikolai G. 

Tchernulshcosky 30 

1018 The Condemned Door, by F. du 

Boisgobey 20 

1019 Soeur Louise (Louise de Bruneval)20 

1020 Allan Quatermain, by Haggard... 20 


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A MONTHLY MAGAZINE edited by Robert A* 

TXT 1 O rwt ^ rt y-v «▼ >-v *4“ x-w ^ 1 ^ tJ >>v« « ^ ^ 


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hold Knowledge, Family MEDICINE, the Preservation of HEALTH 
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Dr. Gunn’s Home Pills, Dr. Gunn’s Home Liniment, Dr. Gunn’s Home 
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Home Kidney Cure, Dr. Gunn’s Home Catarrh Specific, and a full line 
of FAMILY MEDICINES; also KOSMEMA, the celebrated 
Greek Complexion Beautifier used by the Empress Josephine and 
her Court, and other Toilet and Household Articles. Home 
Knowledge Association is incorporated, with a capital of 
$250,000, and authorized to publish and sell Magazines, Papers, 
Books, Medicines, etc., also to manufacture Dr. Gunn’s FAMILY 
MEDICINES. Every subscriber to home KNOWLEDGE 

will receive, free of cost, a large quai’to book describing the symp- 
toms and treatment of all diseases to which our REMEDIES are 
applicable, including a descriptive catalogue of the standard and 
new BDOKS, magazines, and newspapers published in America and 
England. This elaborate and useful work; of reference, com- 
piled by the ablest physicians and bibliographers, is worth much 
more than the price of the magazine ; also a certificate entitling 
him or her to a yearly member^ip of the association, the benefits 
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and Medicines at wholesale prices, thus saving members, each 
^g^W^any times the subscription price of HOME KNOWL-* 

On application we will mail, free of charge, a full descriptive 
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and County Agents Wanted. Special inducements to Agents, 
For particulars address 


HOME KHOWLEDGE ASSOCIATION, 46 E. 22(1 St., Hew York. 


KOSMEMA. 

The Kiost marvellous restorer of youth and beauty ever before offered 
to the public. It was manufactured especially for the Empress JOSE- 
PHINE and the ladies of her Court, by an eminent French chemist, and 
was handed down as an heir-loom to the descendants of the beautiful and 
celebrated Lady de B , one of the favorites of the NAPOLEON house- 
hold, and has been used in that family for over half a century ; but has 
never before been an article of merchandise. It is said to be the wash 
that the LADIES of ancient GREECE used after the bath. 

Its properties being so extraordinary and expensive, it was reserved 
through the generations for the nobility only. This tradition is possibly 
a figment of the FRENCH chemist’s brain, but the fact of the name, 
KOSMEMA, being of Greek derivation, the costliness of its kigre- 
ients, and the rare quality it possesses of giving the SKIN that smooth 
and velvety texture and transparent brilliance for which the GRECIAN 
ladies were renowned, would give it the semblance of TRUTH. 

We have strictly followed this unique formula in compounding this 
invaluable COSMETIC, and have tested its wonderful effect upon the 
skin, and now offer it as a pure, genuine, and perfectly harmless beau- 
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usually form the basis of the cosmetics now on the market. 

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45 East 22d Street, 

^ew York City. N. Y. 



HENRY GEORGE’S LATEST WORK 


Protection or Free Trade ? 

ia EXAMINATION OF THE TARIFF QUESTION WITH ESPECIAL REGARD 
TO THE INTERESTS OF LABOR. 

0 

By HENRY OEORCE, 

Aiathor of " Progress and Poverty/* ''Social Problems,*’ 
"The I.and Question,** etc. 

Oloth.. I^ice, ^1.^0. 


COlSTTEnSTTS- 


I. Introductory, 
n. Clearing ground, 
in. Of method. 

IV. Protection as a universal need. 

V. The protective unit. 

VI. Trade. 

Vn. Production and producers. 
Vm. Tariffs for revenue. 

IX. Tariffs for protection. 

X. The encouragement of Indus- 

try. 

XI. The home market and home 

trade. 

xn. Exports and Imports. 

Xin. Confusions arising from the 
use of money. 

XIV. Do high wages necessitate pro- 
tection ? 

XV. Of advantages and disadvan- 
tages as reasons for pro- 
tection. 


XVI. The development of manu- 
factures. 

XVn. Protection and producers. 
XVm. Effect of protection on Am- 
erican Industry. 

XTX. Protection and wages. 

XX. The abolition of protection. 
XXE. Inadequacy of the free trade 
argument. 

XXII. The real weakness of free 
trade. 

XXm. The real strength of pro- 
tection. 

XXIV. The paradox. 

XXV. The robber that takes att 

that Is left. 

XXV'L True free trade. 

XXVTL The lion In the path. 
XXVm. Free trade and socialism. 
XXIX. Practical politics. 

XXX. Conclusion. 


For sale by all booksellers, or sent prepaid by mail on receipt 
of price. 

HENRY GEORGE & CO., 

16 Astor Place, New York. 



“PAPA’S OWN GIRL” 

By Marie Howland. 


The mamiscript of this great American Novel was 
sabmitted by the author to one of the ablest of our edi- 
torial critics, who, after a careful perusal, returned it with 
the following analysis of its rare excellence : 

“ i think of them^ the men^ women and children of your story 
seem lik^ actually living heings^ whom I haw met and Iked with, or 
perJmps may meet to-morrow, 

“ The last half of yournovd is grander than anything QEOROE 
ELIOT ever wrote, I am not saying thiSy disparaging the first 
half of the story , hut this last part is a new gospd. THE COUNT 
is a creation suggested hy the best qualities of the best men you have 
known. THE SOCIAL PALACE^ as you ham painted it, is the 
heaven of humanity; and the best of it isy that it is a heaven capaUe of 
realization, ****«•*♦ scene of 

DAN^S retumy and of his meeting with MINy is indescribably patheticl 
no one could read it with dry eyeSy arid the moral element involved is 
more effective than in any dramatic situation in literature. With the 
true fiddity of the artist you have given perfect attention to your minor 
characterSy '‘TOO SOON' for example; and I admire the tact with 
which you bring over Mrs, FOREST into sympathy with the SOCIAL 
PALACE and WOMAN'S RIGHTS. This is true ART. Your 
novel throughout meets ad the great questions of the dayy even the finamr 
cM oncy and it is the best traridation of GODIN that could be given. 
You wiUfind a PUBLISHERy be sure of thaty and THE NOVEL 
WILL BE THE GREATEST LITERARY SENSATION OF 
THE TIME." 

This powerfully written and artistic Novel is to the social 
questions now convulsing the civilized world what “Uncle 
Tom’s Cabin ” was to the slavery agitation. 


One volume, 1 2mo, Lovell’s Library, No. 534, 
30 cents ; Cloth, 45 cents. 


JOHN W. LOVELL CO., Publishers, 

14: and 16 Vesey SU, New Yorh, 


By thine own soul’s law, learn to live ; 

And if men thwart thee, take no he^, 
tind if men hate thee, have no care— 

Sing thou thy song, and do thy deed ; 

4ope thou thy hope, and pray thy prayer. 

And claim no crown they will not give. 

John G. Wnn ’f f gk 

4 

JUST PUBLISHED. 

INTEGRAL CO-OPERATION 

By ALBERT E. OWEN. 

A book (200 pages, 12mo) containing three plans illustrating sections and 
buildings suggested for “Pacific Colony Site,” and two maps showing 
Topolobampo Bay, Sinaloa, Mexico, Including “Mochls Kanch,” the valley of 
the Rio Fuerte and its vicinage. 

Price, 30 cents. Sent, postage free, by John W. Lotell Co., Nos. 
14 and 16 Vesey Street, New York aty. 


Also, a Weekly Paper, 



Edited by MARIE and EDWARD HOWLAND, 

Hammonton, New Jeksey, 

Annual Suhseription, $1 j six months^ 50c, j three months, 9So, 

This paper (16-page pamphlet) is devoted exclusively to the propaganda 
for the practical application of integral-co-operation. 

While being an uncompromising exponent of Socialism, the Credit 
Foncier urges constructive measures and counsels against destructive 
methods. Its Colonists are to be known as “ (xmstructionists ” and “ indiviO- 
ualists ” in contradestinction to a branch of socialists who favor destruction 
and communism. 

The Credit Foncier presents a matured plan, with details, for farm, 
city, factory, and clearing house ; and invites the farmer, manufacturer, 
artizan, engineer, architect, contractor, and accountant to unite and organize 
to build for themselves homes, in keeping with solidity, art, and sanitation. 

It asks for evolution and not for revolution ; for inter-dependence and not 
for Independence : for co-operation and not for competition ; for equity and 
not for equality ; for duty and not for liberty ; for employment and not for 
charity ; for eclecticism and not for dogma ; for one law and not for class 
leglsiatlon; for corporate management and not for political control ; for State 
responsibility for every person, at all times and in every place, and not for 
municipal irresponsibility for any person, at any time or in any place ; and 
It demands that the common Interests of the citizen— the atmosphere, land, 
water, light, power, exchange, transportation, construction, sanitation, edu- 
cation, entertainment, insurance, production, distribution, etc., etc.—** be 
pooled,” and that the private life of the citizen be held sacred. 

1 



DR. SCOTT’S 

Electric Corsets and Belts. 

Corsets, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00, $3.00. Belts, $3.00. Nursing Corset, 
Price, $1.50. Abdominal Corset, Price, $3.00. 

SeTenteen thousand families In the City of New York alone are now wearing 
them daily. Erery Man and Women, well or ill, should daily 
wear either the Corset or Belt. 

OUR CORSETS ARE DOUBLE STITCHED AND WILL NOT RIP. 

If you have any pain, ache, or iil-feeling' from any cause, if you seem " pretty well,*' yet lack 
energy and do not "feel up to the mark," if you suffer from disease, we beg you to at once try these 
remarkable curatives. They cannot and do not injure like medicine. Always doing good, never 
harm. There is no shock or sensation felt in wearing them. Every mail brings us testimonials 
like the folloiving : 

We guarantee safe delivery Into 
your hands. Remit in Post-Office 
Money-order, Draft. Check, or in.Cur- 
rency by Registered Letter at our 
risk. In ordering kindly mention 
LovelFs Library, and state exact 
size of corset usually worn. Make 
j, all remittances payable to GEO. 

A. SCOTT, »42 Broadway, 
^ New York. 

N. B.— Each article is 
V stamped with the English 
^ coat-of-arms, and the 
name of the Proprie- 
tors, THE PALL 
MALL ELECT- 
V R I C ASSOCIA- 
TION. 


The Celebrated Dr. W. A. 
Hammond, of New York, formerly 
Surgeoi>General of the U. S. Army, 
lately lectured vpon this subject, and 
advised all medical men to make 
trial of these agencies, describing at 
the same time most remarkable 
cures he had made, even in Ccises 
which would seem hopeless. 

The Corsets do not differ 
in appearance from those 
usually worn. They are 
elegant in shape and 
finish, made after the 
best French pattern, 
and warranted satisfac- 
tory in every respect. 

Our Belts for Doth gents 
and ladies are the gen- 
uine Dr. Scott’s and are 
reliable. 

The prices are as 
follows: $1, $1.50, $2 
and $3 for the Cor- 
sets, and $3 each 
for the Belts, The 
accompanying cut 
represents our No. 

2, or $1.50 Corset. 

We have also a 
beautiful French shap- 
ed Sateen Corset at $3, 
also a fine Sateen Abdom 
inal Corset at $3, and a short 
Sateen Corset at $2. The $1 
and $1.50 goods are made of 
fine Jean, elegant in shape, 
strong and durable. Nur- 
sing Corsets, $1.50; Miss- 
es, 75c. All are double 
stitched. Gents' and 
Ladies’ Belts, $3 each ; 

Ladies’ Abdominal 
Supporter, an invalu- 
able article, $12. They 
are sent out in a hand- 
some box, accompanied by a 
silver-plated compass by which 
the Electro-Magnetic influence 
can be tested. If you cannot 
find them in your dry goods 
store, remit to us direct. We 
will send either kind to any 
addresS; post-paid, on receipt 
of price, with 20 cents added 
for packing and postage. 



Hollis Centre, Me. 

I suffered severely from back 
trouble for years and found no 
relief till I wore Dr Scott's Elec- 
tric Corsets. They cured me, 
and I would not be without 
them. MRS. H . D. BENSON. 


Memphis, Tennessee. 
Dr. Scott’s Electric Corsets 
have given me much relief. I 
suffered four years with breast 
trouble, without finding any 
benefit from other remedies. 
They are invaluable. 

Mrs. Jas. Campbell. 

De Witt, N. Y. 

I have an invalid sis- 
ter who had not been 
dressed for a year. 
She has worn Dr. 
Scott's Electric 
Corsets for two 
weeks, and is now 
able to be dressed 
and sit up most of 
the time. 

i-t. u V « MelvaJ.Doe. 

Chambersburg, Pa, 

I found Dr. Scott’s Electric Cor- 
sets possessed miraculous power Newark, N.Y. 

in stimulating and invigorating my Dr. Scott's Electric Corsetr 
enfeebled TOdy, ana the Hair have entirely cured me of mus- 
Brush had a magic effect on my cular rheumatism, and also of 
scalp. Mrs. T. E. Snyder, severe case of headache. 

Fancy Goods Dealer. MRS. L. C. Spencer, 


Dr* Scott’s Electric Hair Brushes, Sl.OO^ $1.5^ $2.00, $2.50, $3.00: Flesh 
Brashes, $3.00 ; Dr. Scott’s Electric Tooth Brushes. 60 cents ; Insoles, 

60 cents ; CHEST PROCTECTOB, $3.00 ; ELECTRIC HA.IR 
CURLER, 60 cents; LUNG AND NERVE INVIGORA- 
TORS, $6.00 $10.00. 

k PDCAT CIIPPCCC €food Live Canvassing Agent WANTED Id 

R UnCH I uUUuCuO your town for these i^lendidly advertised and 
best selling goods in the market. LIBERAL PAY, ^ICK SALES. Satislho* 
tfon guaranteed. Apply at once. GEO. A. SCOTT. 842 Broad vaK N. X 



le treatment of many thousands of 
s of those chronic weaknesses and 
•essing ailments peculiar to females, 
be Invalids’ Hotel and Surg-ical In- 
fe, Buffalo, N. Y., has afforded a 
experience in nicely adapting and 
oughly testing remedies for the 
of woman’s peculiar maladies. 

% Pierce’s Favorite Prescrip- 
i is the outgrowth, or result, of this 
t and valuable experience. Thou- 
s of testimonials received from pa- 
is and from physicians who have 
sd it in the more aggravated and 
inate cases which had baffled their 
, prove it to be the most wonderful 
3dy ever devised for the relief and 
of suffering women. It is not re- 
mended as a “cure-all,” but as a 
i perfect Specilio for woman’s 
Ijibciiliar ailments. 

1 As a powerful, invigorating 
litinie it imparts strength to the whole 
'intern, and to the uterus, or womb and 
appendages, in particular. For over- 
I'v^Orked, “worn-out,” “run-down,” dc- 
Ijffltated teachers, milliners, dressmak- 
! as, seamstresses, “shop-girls,” housc- 
Sii^pers, nursing mothers, and feeble 
jvomen generally. Dr. Pierce’s Favorite 
(Prescription is the greatest earthly boon, 
aing unequalled as an appetiz-ing cor- 
jal and restorative tonic. It promotes 
igestion and assimilation of food, cures 
tusea, weakness of stomach, indiges- 
ion, bloating and eructations of gas. 

As a so o tiling and strengtlien- 
ng nervine, “ Favorite Prescription ” 
Is unequalled and is invaluable in allay- 
'ig and subduing nervous excitability, 
iTitability, exhaustion, prostration, hys- 
eria, spasms and other distressing, nerv- 
us symptoms commonly attendant upon 
unctional and organic disease of the 
tomb. It induces refreshing sleep and 
elieves mental anxiety and despond- 
Dcy. • 

Br. Pierce’s Favorite Prescrip- 
oii is a legitimate medicine, 

refully compounded by an experienc- 
and skillful physician, and adapted 
woman’s delicate organization. It is 

vegetable in its composition and 


perfectly harmless In Its effects in any 
condition of the system. 

‘‘Favorite Prescription” is a 
positive cure for the most compli- 
cated and obstinate cases of ieucorrhea, 
or “ whites,” excessive flowing at month- 
ly periods, painful menstruation, unnat- 
ural suppressions, prolapsus or falling 
of the womb, weak b£,ck, “ female weak- 
ness,” anteversion,ret reversion, bearing- 
down sensations, chronic congestion, in- 
flammation and ulceration of the womb, 
inflammation, pain and tenderness in 
ovaries, accompanied with internal heat. 

In pregnancy, “ Favorite Prescrip- 
tion” is a “ mother’s cordial,” relieving 
nausea, weakness of stomach and other 
distressing symptom j common to that 
condition. If its use is kept up in the 
latter months of gestation, it so prepares 
the system for deli/ery as to greatly 
lessen, and many times almost entirely 
do away with the suiferings of that try- 
ing ordeal. 

‘‘ Favorite Prescription,” whetr 
taken in connection with the use of 
Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery, 
and small Laxative doses of Dr. Pierce’s 
Purgative Pellets (Little Liver Pills), 
cures Liver, Kidney and Bladder dig 
eases. Their combined use also removes 
blood taints, and abolishes cancerous 
and scrofulous humors from the system. 

Treating tlie Wrong Bisease.— 
Many times women call on their family 
physicians, suffering, as they imagine, 
one from dyspepsia, another from heart 
disease, another from liver or kidney 
disease, another from nervous exhaus- 
tion or prostration, another with pain 
here or there, and in this way they all 
present alike to themselves and their 
easy-going and indifferent, or over-busy 
doctor, separate and distinct diseases, 
for which he prescribes his pills and 
potion^ assuming them to be such, 
when, in reality, they are all only symp^ 
toms caused by some womb disorder. 
The physician, ignorant of the cause of 
suffering, encourages his practice until 
large bills are made. The suffering pa- 
tient gets no better, but probably worse 
by reason of the delay, wrong treatment 
and consequent complications. A prop- 
er medicine, like Dr. Pierce’s Favorite 
Prescription, directed to the cause would 
have entirely removed the disease, there- 
by dispelling all those distressing symp- 
toms, and instituting comfort instead of 
prolonged misery. 

‘^Favorite Prescription” is the 

only medicine for women sold, by drug- 
gists, under a positive guarantee, 
from the manufacturers, that it will 
give satisfaction in every case, or money 
will be refunded. This guarantee has 
been printed on the bottle-wrapper, and 
faithfully carried out for many years. 
Liarge bottles (100 doses) $1.00j or 
six bottles for $5.00. 

Send ten cents in stamps for Dr. 
Pierce’s large, illustrated Treatise (160 
pages) on Diseases of Women. Address, 
World’s Dispensary Medical Associationi 
^0, MAIN BUFFALO, N. Tt 
















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